Elizabeth Davenport McKune (1947- )

Ambassador Elizabeth Davenport McKune was born on November 15, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. She became a Foreign Service officer in 1973 and specialized in the Middle East. McKune is the daughter of West Point graduate Colonel Clarence M. Davenport, Jr. and distinguished National Institute of … Read MoreElizabeth Davenport McKune (1947- )

Gina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley (1957- )

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman diplomat to lead a U.S. consulate in the gender conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also serves as the U.S. Ambassador to Malta (appointed in 2011). Gina Kay Abercrombie was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where her mother was a secretary … Read MoreGina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley (1957- )

Islam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

In the following article historian Omar H. Ali explores a lesser-known aspect of the global African Diaspora, the spread of African peoples and their cultures throughout the Indian Ocean basin. Africans had become a visible part of the Indian Ocean world long before the advent … Read MoreIslam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

“Yes We Can”: Barack Obama’s Road to the White House, 2008

In the following account California State University, Fresno history professor Malik Simba summarizes the 2008 presidential campaign of Illinois Senator Barack Obama.  Professor Simba reminds us of the many challenges faced by the campaign as well as the daring and innovative strategies it successfully employed … Read More“Yes We Can”: Barack Obama’s Road to the White House, 2008