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    Book Gifted to Richard Schifter

    As a young boy in Vienna, Austria in the 1930s, Richard Schifter would often walk with his father past the Austrian Consular Academy. Richard would tell his parents that one day he wanted to be a diplomat. One time, his father pulled him aside and explained, “We are Jews. Jews can't get…

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    Decorated Pillowcase from Jonestown

    U.S. diplomats at posts around the world provide consular services to Americans living and working abroad as a core part of their mission. Sometimes that work is especially tragic, challenging, and dangerous. In 1978, officials from the U.S. Embassy in Guyana were making periodic consular visits to The Peoples Temple settlement, known…

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    "Civil Code" Book from Italy

    The oldest gift to a Secretary of State in the museum’s collection is this copy of Codice Civile del Regno D’Italia or, translated into English, Civil Code of the Kingdom of Italy. It was printed in 1901 by Fratella Bocca Editori, an Italian publishing house. The pocket-sized publication has a short handwritten…

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    Ambassador Harper’s Moccasins

    In 2014, Keith M. Harper became the first Native American to be named a U.S. ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Harper served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Human Rights Council until 2017. These moccasins were a gift to him from his…

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    Glass Shards from Embassy Bombing

    John E. Lange was serving as Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Dar Es Salaam on August 7, 1998. That morning, he convened a meeting in his office with the Political-Economic Section which was cut short due to the bomb’s impact. Lange remembers feeling a deep rumble before an explosion rocked his office,…

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    Ambassador Bushnell's Hard Hat

    When the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi was attacked by a truck bomb in August 1998, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Prudence Bushnell was present in a neighboring building and injured by the blast. Ambassador Bushnell returned to inspect the damaged embassy the next day. Her staff presented this hard hat for her to…

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    Guidebook for Blind Job Seekers

    Avraham (Rami) Rabby was a lifelong advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, particularly vision loss. He was completely blind, having lost his sight as a child due to detached retinas. He also served as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service for 17 years, a job he had to fight…

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    National Federation of the Blind Award

    The National Federal of the Blind of Illinois awarded Avraham (Rami) Rabby this award in 2018, recognizing the success of his advocacy on several issues impacting blind people. These included recognition of White Cane Safety Day and passing white cane legislation. White canes are commonly used by people with low or no…

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    Avraham Rabby’s White Cane

    This foldable white cane belonged to Avraham (Rami) Rabby, who was a lifelong advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, particularly vision loss. Canes like this one are commonly used by people with low or no vision to identify themselves and to help safely navigate on foot. Rabby was completely blind,…

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    Avraham Rabby’s Business Cards

    These business cards belonged to Avraham (Rami) Rabby, who was a lifelong advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, particularly vision loss. He was completely blind, having lost his sight as a child due to detached retinas. He also served as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service for 17 years,…