Republican Florida Rep. Brian Mast appeared to catch the State Department’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer off guard with a line of questioning about his race during a hearing Tuesday.
Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in the history of the State Department, repeatedly answered “I do not know” when Mast asked her what race he is. Mast used his time during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee for Oversight and Accountability to question why the State Department examines race and ethnicity in hiring processes.
“Can you tell me, am I white?” Mast asked Abercrombie-Winstanley. The ambassador took a long pause before telling Mast she would have to ask Mast to tell her how he characterizes himself.
“That’s exactly right, I would have to tell you not just how I characterize myself but what I am,” Mast said. “But I’m asking, do you know if I’m white?”
“I do not know,” Abercrombie-Winstanley answered. She gave the same answer when Mast proceeded to ask whether he’s half-black, Latino, Asian or Pacific Islander or brown.
White and Proud
Am I a male, female or frying pan?