The School of Foreign Service (SFS) was pleased to host alumna and U.S. Representative Stacey Plaskett (SFS’88, D-VI) on April 9 for a conversation about her career in public service. She joined Georgetown anthropology and history professor Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell and SFS Dean Joel Hellman to discuss her time in government office, reflect on her SFS experience and share her priorities for the Biden-Harris administration.
To open the conversation, Hellman welcomed Plaskett and Mikell and recognized the accomplishments of both speakers. Plaskett is beginning her fourth term representing the U.S Virgin Islands in the House of Representatives and played a prominent role in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. “For us, she is — first and foremost — a Hoya,” Hellman added.
Hellman thanked Mikell for “blazing an extraordinary path” as the first Black professor to achieve tenure at SFS, where she has taught since 1976. During her time at Georgetown, she has also served as director of the African Studies Program, which she helped develop, and chaired the Sociology and Anthropology Departments.
In addition to holding leadership positions throughout the school, Mikell has been a mentor and inspiration to generations of students, including Plaskett, who remembered how meaningful it was to be taught by Mikell, who was the first Black teacher she ever had. “I can recall the emotions that came over me. I had not had that kind of model in my life before, and how important seeing her in command of her subject matter was to me as a young woman,” Plaskett said.
For Plaskett, Georgetown was full of “heady” experiences like these. She explained that having a cousin who was a Georgetown student helped her to navigate campus life and that living in D.C. in the 1980s, when it was a majority-Black city, helped her take advantage of the opportunities that came her way.
Mikell asked Plaskett how the connections she made at Georgetown have impacted her career in public service. Plaskett explained that former classmates still volunteer with her campaign and that she has been able to call on Georgetown alumni to fundraise for Black women seeking elected office.
In addition to discussing her role as an impeachment manager this January and how her background in law enforcement informs her perspective on Black Lives Matter, Plaskett also discussed her unique position as a representative of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Though they are American citizens, residents of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representatives in Congress.During the Biden-Harris administration, Plaskett will argue for full voting rights for territories and improved economic and employment opportunities for her constituents. “We cannot remain in this colonial status indefinitely,” she said.