WorldView | Winter 2021 – Reengaging with the World
The Peace Corps community can and will play a pivotal role. Here are ideas for how to do it right. And reports from the front lines of the pandemic.
Peace in the Time of COVID
If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that approaching this endeavor with a sense of solidarity and humility and commitment is a matter of life and death. By Steven Boyd Saum Cover illustration by Ellen Weinstein This is not the magazine we wanted to publish. How could it be? Instead of marking six […]
An Even More Towering Task
An Unprecedented Year. And Insurrection at the Capitol. By Glenn Blumhorst Photo: Makeshift Fence Memorials to Capitol Police Officers Brian D. Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. By Elvert Barnes For so many of us, the year 2020 seemed the challenge of a lifetime. But if anyone was built to persevere through the crises these months presented, it’s […]
Annotation: “Ask not what your country can do for you …”
How do the words President John F. Kennedy spoke on January 20, 1961 resonate across the decades? On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered his inaugural address. The conclusion of that speech inspired a generation — and profoundly shaped the launch of the Peace Corps in 1961. Here are the last three paragraphs. For the 60th […]
You Are Going to Do Something to Defeat It
Civil rights attorney Elaine Jones talks with Jalina Porter Photo: Elaine Jones. Courtesy Elaine Jones Elaine Jones has led a landmark career that has included being the first woman to direct the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the first African American woman to attend law school at the University of Virginia. Where she learned the […]
Pandemic Lessons - The pandemic has driven home some crucial lessons — about science, community, and systems. Voices from the Peace Corps community.
A Matter of Life and Death
Pandemic Lessons: Epidemiologist Anne Rimoin on the importance of listening to community. And how a public health problem anywhere can be a public health problem everywhere. From a conversation with WorldView editor Steven Boyd Saum Photo by Peter Israel In epidemiology, you have to look at things holistically. And in the midst of this pandemic, as an epidemiologist whose whole […]
On the COVID Floor
Pandemic Lessons: A nurse in the nation’s capital By Rose Conklin Illustration by Maria Carluccio The end of March, April, we were getting hit hard with COVID in Washington, D.C. It was really still an unknown illness, but it was everywhere. I had started a float position as a registered nurse at George Washington […]
A Contribution to Community
Pandemic Lessons: A vaccine trial participant By Tia Huggins Illustration by Maria Carluccio For the past six years I’ve served as director of care coordination at Imperial Beach Community Clinic, south of San Diego. Last year one provider at the clinic put out an email about the trial for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. I thought, I […]
She Helped South Korea in Its Time of Need. In the Pandemic, It Repaid Her.
Decades ago, a young American woman served an impoverished South Korea as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Now the country is an economic powerhouse, and it decided to send her a token of its gratitude. By Choe Sang-Hun Photo: Sandra Nathan teaching in South Korea. Courtesy Sandra Nathan Sandra Nathan spent 1966 to 1968 in a […]
More to This Story: The COVID-19 Survival Box from Korea
How service as Volunteers shaped careers in public health, teaching, and more — for Americans and Koreans alike By NPCA Staff Photo: Survival box, delivered to Gary Krzic, President of Friends of Korea. Photo courtesy Gary Krzic The gifts of more than 500 COVID-19 survival boxes to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in […]
Dr. Anthony Fauci Sends Words of Encouragement as NPCA Launches Emergency Response Network with Contact Tracers Helping During the Pandemic
Welcomed by Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Peter Kilmarx from the National Institutes of Health, the first cohort of NPCA contact tracers is training to begin work in King County, Washington. By Dan Baker Renowned infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci offered words of encouragement and inspiration as the first cohort of the National Peace Corps Association […]
Peace Corps Connect to the Future
A Community Report on How to Reimagine, Reshape, and Retool the Peace Corps for a Changed World
Unprecedented Times Call for an Unparalleled Response
The question right now for both the United States and the Peace Corps agency isn’t whether to engage the world after coronavirus. We must. The question now is how to do it. This report shows the way, with actionable recommendations for Congress, the Executive Branch and the agency, and the Peace Corps community.
People & Ideas
Quote: Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Dreams, Opportunity, and Peace Corps
Linda Thomas-Greenfield wants to see more girls from places like she grew up as Volunteers — and ambassadors. As a young girl growing up in Baker, one of my biggest dreams was joining the Peace Corps. —Linda Thomas-Greenfield Nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations […]
Meet the 2020 Winners of the Franklin H. Williams Award
Honoring six Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have served around the world — and a leader who has worked to close the racial and wealth gaps in the Chicago area. By NPCA Staff On December 15 the Peace Corps recognized leaders in the Peace Corps community — and a civic leader with a shared […]
We are the messengers of what Peace Corps is and can be
In a keynote address for the Franklin H. Williams Award ceremony, Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley recounts the opportunities she helped create — and the resistances she faced — as an African American woman serving in the Peace Corps and in the U.S. Foreign Service. By Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley On December 15, 2020, the Peace Corps recognized six leaders in the […]
Hostage to History
Iran past, present, and future – with diplomat John Limbert, one of 52 Americans held hostage in Iran from 1979 to 1981. They were released 40 years ago this month. From a conversation at the National Peace Corps Association 2020 Shriver Leadership Summit Photo: The U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seal defaced Storming the Compound My […]
Eradicating Smallpox in Ethiopia
Another time, another place, another virus By Barry Hillenbrand ”Eradicating Smallpox in Ethiopia” is a hefty and important book that rightfully deserves an honored place on any shelf of serious books about epidemiology and public health. The book tells the tale of the work that some 73 Peace Corps Volunteers did in the 1970s with […]
The Stories We Tell
Dreams and disillusionment. A 3,000-mile ultramarathon and a library in a Mayan village. Catching up with books recognized with the Peace Corps Writers Awards. Baked into the mission of the whole Peace Corps experience is the work of telling stories: of listening, catching, giving voice and shape and form with a sense of fidelity to people […]
An Enormous and Panicked Bird
From Owls of the Eastern Ice By Jonathan Slaght Photo: Blakiston’s Fish Owl chick in Primorye, Russia. Photo by Jonathan Slaght A revelatory tale from biologist Jonathan Slaght. Among the many accolades for Owls of the Eastern Ice: It was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Times of London best nature book of the year. It appeared […]
New & Updates
Farewell, Jody Olsen
She led the Peace Corps Agency since 2018 — and through the unprecedented global evacuation of all Volunteers from countries where they were serving. By NPCA Staff On January 20, Jody Olsen stepped down from her post as Director of the Peace Corps to make way for a new team to be appointed by the […]
Carol Spahn Named Acting Director of Peace Corps
Updated March 4: The Biden Administration continues to fill out political appointments for staff at the agency. By NPCA Staff On January 20, Carol Spahn was named Acting Director of the Peace Corps by President Biden. Spahn had been serving as the Peace Corps chief of operations for Africa. She succeeds Jody Olsen, who stepped down as director on January […]
Let’s Climb This Hill Together
Unprecedented times, yes. But history still offers a few pointers. By Jonathan Pearson Over many years with National Peace Corps Association, I have navigated the corridors and rooms of Capitol Hill to attend meetings, drop off documents, or prepare event logistics. This includes countless visits to the venerable Russell Senate and Cannon House Office […]
A Presidential Welcome: El Salvador in 2022
Volunteers will return to a program suspended in 2016 By NPCA Staff The President of El Salvador, Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, tweeted news about the Peace Corps to his 2.2 million followers on a Saturday morning in November: “Ahora, que hemos dado grandes avances en seguridad, regresan,” he wrote. Now that we have made great advances in safety, […]
Return to Service Postponed
Last fall, Peace Corps announced that, barring unforeseen changes, Volunteers would begin returning to the field as early as January 2021: to Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean, to Cambodia, and to Rwanda. Volunteers would also be given priority regarding the vaccine. Then came new waves of the pandemic in regions across the United States […]
Volunteers in the House
The 2020 congressional elections mark the end of an era for Peace Corps in Congress: Now there’s only one. And he is working on new legislation to support and improve the Peace Corps. By Jonathan Pearson Photo: John Garamendi The 2020 congressional elections mark the end of an era for Peace Corps in Congress: […]
Budget Victory
Full funding of $410.5 million for fiscal year 2021. And Peace Corps must put together a plan to provide access to menstrual hygiene products wherever Volunteers are serving. By Jonathan Pearson Peace Corps received good news on the budget front in December: Congress approved level funding for the agency at $410.5 million. The House had […]
A Lasting Tribute
A concluding moment to the service of Joe Kennedy III in the House: legislation to enable work on the Peace Corps Commemorative to carry forward By Jonathan Pearson and Steven Boyd Saum Illustration by Edward Rooks Joseph Kennedy III served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. After he was elected to represent […]
TCP Global Hits $1 Million
A Volunteer-led project now serves communities in the Americas, Asia, and Africa — and just hit a big milestone. Olla Milagrosa (Fundacion, Magdalena, Colombia), which has benefited from earnings through TCP Global, has distributed food and facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy TCP Global Two decades ago, when 25,000 families were displaced annually by […]
Profiles in Courage and Grace - First Black captain of the U.S. Olympic team. First African American to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice.
Carrying the Torch: Rafer Johnson
First Black captain of the U.S. Olympic team. Greatest athlete in the world. And a humanitarian who was at the side of those in need in the most dire moments. Rafer Johnson carried the American flag at the 1960 Olympic Games and won the decathlon. He was esteemed the greatest athlete in the world. In […]
Pioneer in Justice: Drew S. Days III
First African American to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice — and the first Black man to lead any division at Justice, period. Photo Courtesy Yale Law School Drew S. Days III was appointed to the Department of Justince in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. He later served as solicitor general […]
Letters
Letters Winter 2021: WorldView Readers Write
Letters, emails, Facebook posts, tweets, Instagram comments: Readers respond to the stories in words and images in our fall 2020 edition. We’re happy to continue the conversation.Write us: [email protected] Renew, retool, return? I suspect the Peace Corps will see a renewal following the Biden administration. Service to our country and promoting peace, prosperity, and democracy will take on […]
You can make a difference.
Where We’re Going
We’ve got some learning and some work to do. That’s true for the Peace Corps community. For this nation. For this planet. We’re facing hard questions and grappling with systemic injustices that have been centuries in the making. We envision a vibrant and united community, here at home and around the world. What we do know: Working together as partners is essential. Rok Locksley is […]
Get the print edition of WorldView
WorldView magazine brings you stories from and about the greater Peace Corps community, with connections to the wider world. We feature news, profiles, commentary and analysis, politics, arts, and ideas with a global perspective. We publish quarterly in print, with digital features throughout the year.
Subscribe Now
Receive the print edition by joining National Peace Corps Association at any level. SIGN UP.
You can also make a gift to ensure we can send the print edition of the magazine to everyone who wants to receive it.
Current edition: Winter 2021
Previous editions of WorldView digital:
Fall 2020 | Summer 2020 | Spring 2020
More previous editions are available on the WorldView app. Print copies may be available as well upon request. Write us and ask.
Submission Guidelines
We welcome pitches and, on rare occasions, completed pieces. What are we looking for? Stories that speak to the Peace Corps community. That might be focused on work connected to Peace Corps, returned Volunteers, communities and countries where Volunteers have served, connections to experiences and work in the U.S. and globally. We’re interested in ideas and impact and stories that connect with readers on a human level.
About the Editor
Steven Boyd Saum is editor of WorldView. For more than two decades he has edited award-winning magazines in the San Francisco Bay Area. His journalism, essays, and fiction have appeared in Orion, The Believer, Creative Nonfiction, The Kenyon Review, Christian Science Monitor, on KQED FM, and in other magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and internationally. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, where he also directed the Fulbright program and hosted a radio show. Send a letter to the editor: [email protected].
Supporters
Check out special programs and opportunities our partners offer Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and National Peace Corps Association members!
WorldView app
Sign up to receive WorldView digital with our app, including searchable archives and digital exclusives.
1. Sign up for an account here.
2. Then download the app from the iOS store, Google Play, or read the mag on Flickread on your computer here.
Questions? Email us.
A Unique Audience
Advertisers: Reach the Peace Corps community throughout the United States — and around the world. Find out more about how to advertise with us:
The quarterly print edition of the award-winning WorldView magazine reaches more than 70,000 readers. The magazine is available free of charge to more than 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers evacuated in 2020 — and to thousands more Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and staff. They’re part of a committed and dynamic community of nearly a quarter million.
What Our Readers Are Saying
“I would like to thank you for all of the amazing work you put into WorldView magazine. Reading it gives me a great feeling of solidarity with other Volunteers and RPCVs around the world and always serves to remind me that I’m part of something very special, and something that is much bigger than I am.”
— Anna Waterfield (Tanzania 2012–14)
“I have read WorldView for years now and it was FABULOUS to get at post. It’s important to know someone, somewhere out there is doing what you are doing, with a twist, and that’s what keeps Volunteers serving and communities asking for more … this publication really does make a difference.”
— Rachael Miller (Benin 2006–08)