A Look into the Black Peace Corps Experience
By Arabella Estes
The culminating event for the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience’s Peace by Design exhibit highlighted not only the humanity behind Peace Corps service, but also honed in on the experiences of one group, Black Peace Corps Volunteers.
On Friday, February 13th, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) met to share a range of perspectives on the experiences, both during and after their service, at “Black Peace Corps Journeys: Designing a Life After Service.”
Hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and intended to commemorate both Black History Month and the closure of the museum’s Peace by Design exhibit, the event provided a rare venue for Black Peace Corps Volunteers to connect and reflect on their service in the Peace Corps, how their experience informed their subsequent careers, and also how race impacted their Peace Corps service.
The Peace by Design exhibit itself featured photos, objects, posters, and writings from Peace Corps Volunteers, capturing the care and intention behind service, but while the Peace by Design exhibit packed its own weight, the anecdotes shared struck a different, more profound chord.
Led by moderator Jennifer Erie, speakers discussed experiences shared by every RPCV, such as culture-shock, resilience, and skills learned through service. They explored how their Peace Corps experience launched them into service-oriented careers and gave advice to future PCVs. But beyond that, they also explored deeper topics, including Black representation in the Peace Corps, the Black American experience abroad, and socioeconomic barriers to service.
Speaker Carla Brown, President and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association, said about her service, “It allowed me to really embrace the fullness and richness of African-American culture.”
Historically, Black Volunteers have made up a very small percentage of active Peace Corps Volunteers. For many of the speakers present, they were one of only a handful of Black Volunteers serving in their country. According to a 2023 Peace Corps survey, that percentage has risen to 8%, and while this marks a significant increase from years prior, the low recruitment levels of Black Americans in the Peace Corps persists.
Across both the event and the exhibit, RPCVs made service a central focus. Sparked by their time in the Peace Corps, attendees of the event made it clear through their words and achievements that contributing to their communities was a prominent goal in their personal and professional lives.
“The Peace Corps helped me become more authentic. And so I would go into spaces, and I wouldn’t necessarily shy away from my own opinion or my own views,” explained Carla Brown. She went on to say, “I just find it plain fun,” about her career of service both during and after the Peace Corps.
The event and its speakers captured the intricacies of the Black Peace Corps experience, offering encouragement for future Black PCVs and continuing to prioritize service in their lives.
