Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Global Cultural Ambassador
Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton: We, from time to time, ask distinguished Americans to take on an additional responsibility in the midst of their very busy lives as a cultural ambassador for our country. And we’re thrilled that you have agreed to do this.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: To me, diplomacy is about understanding what another culture is about through personal contacts.—just ordinary citizens talking to each other, not something that’s done on a very high diplomatic level. Just done by ordinary people learning about the ordinary people in other parts of the world. By doing that, you get a realistic idea of who your neighbors are and how to interact with them. This will be my second trip to Brazil. The first time I went, I was working, basically with a shoe company and it was totally about basketball. But this trip, I’ll be able to meet people and take several days to speak and see the country. Because of the way the world is today, so small now with instant communication, I think the image of the United States really needs to be portrayed in an accurate voice. Just by communicating my honest feelings, I think I can do a good job of being a good ambassador and letting people know what my take on America is all about.
[jkg]
