Thread by @funkybrownchick

Ooooh!!! ♥️ Recently found out @NatSecDiver is showcasing #DiverseVoices in #NatSec to celebrate #Juneteenth this Friday. #NextGenNatSec

I'll post more about this later. But, for now, I wanna talk about how I got into #NatSec stuff in the first place.

Here's a quick thread about my international career, love life, etc ... @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec

First, btw, note: If you’re interested in #NatSec, it really helps to make a concerted effort to expose yourself to new ways of thinking.

🌍 Travel
👂Learn languages
👄 Kiss different lips

But, I digress. Back to #NatSec ...

Fresh out of grad school, my first gig was with the State Department. @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices #BlackNatSec

I worked at the American Embassy in The Hague (@usembthehague) as an analyst in the Economic Cone. The building was in the city center of Den Haag, over on Lange Voorhout street. That's where I was on Sept 11, 2001. 🇳🇱 @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices

However, before that, I'd already lived & worked abroad in both the UK 🇬🇧 & the Netherlands 🇳🇱 — and studied French 🇫🇷 & Italian 🇮🇹 — and learned Dutch fluently. 🇳🇱Plus, my dude was Dutch. @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices #BlackNatSec

Back then, I don't remember a lot of black folks working at @usembthehague in Holland. It's been a while but, excluding the mailroom, I remember three people:
1. Me
2. The dude who headed up DEA stuff
3. The incomparable Ollie Wright. ❤️ books.google.com/books?id=xYNNA…

To blow off steam after work, my friends & I used to party and hang out with the @USMC battalion when they weren't working. They were fantastic folks & I'm very grateful for their service. 🙏 @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices #BlackNatSec

As @lilyburana notes in her excellent @NBCNewsTHINK piece: "In 2016, Black people made up 12.6% of U.S. population, but 21% of @USArmy, 10.3% of @USMC, 17% of @USNavy & 13.5% @usairforce on active duty were all Black." @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices nbcnews.com/think/opinion/…

Back to the Marines ...

My friend Dan was the Staff Sergeant. After we each returned to The States, we stayed in touch. He used to call me Princess. I, of course, called him “SGT. DAN!"

#CulturalDiplomacy — not Defense — is my space in #NatSec. So I didn't know the difference between “Lt.” and “Sgt.” I genuinely thought the dude in Forrest Gump was “Sgt. Dan!!” (So, I guess the joke was on me because I botched that.)

When I came back to the U.S., I made a conscious decision to come back home & mobilize and organize Americans. In my first jobs back, I developed & marketed international exchange programs for teens, young adults and working professionals. @NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec

Now, I've worked across 3 of the 4Ds of #NatSec:
✅ Diplomacy (@statedepartment)
✅ Development (@LandOLakesInc International)
✅ Democracy promotion (@newseek, @UChicago, etc.)
🚫 Defense (... I'm a lover, not a fighter 💋)
@NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices

Bottom line: I'm fully committed to reducing violence & increasing security — especially in sexual & reproductive health, rights, education & Justice. 💪
@NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec #DiverseVoices #BlackNatSec

Learn more about my career, where I've worked, what I love, what I've accomplished, etc. by checking out my:
💻 Website: twannahines.com
💻 Company: funkybrownchick.com
💻 @LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/twannahines/
@NatSecDiver #BlackVoices #NextGenNatSec

📺 STAY TUNED!! For more #DiverseVoices from the #NatSec community, remember to follow @NatSecDiver & tune in to Friday's #JUNETEENTH2020 celebration. 💜