Cultural ambassador thumb|upright|240px|Hillary Clinton and Abdul-Jabbar, 2012 In January 2012, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Abdul-Jabbar had accepted a position as a cultural ambassador for the United States. During the announcement press conference, Abdul-Jabbar commented on the historical legacy of African-Americans as representatives of U.S. culture: "I remember when Louis Armstrong first did it back for President Kennedy, one of my heroes. So it's nice to be following in his footsteps."Remarks With Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . U.S. Department of State. January 18, 2012. As part of this role, Abdul-Jabbar has traveled to Brazil to promote education for local youths.
Cultural ambassador thumb|upright|240px|Hillary Clinton and Abdul-Jabbar, 2012 In January 2012, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Abdul-Jabbar had accepted a position as a cultural ambassador for the United States. During the announcement press conference, Abdul-Jabbar commented on the historical legacy of African-Americans as representatives of U.S. culture: "I remember when Louis Armstrong first did it back for President Kennedy, one of my heroes. So it's nice to be following in his footsteps."Remarks With Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . U.S. Department of State. January 18, 2012. As part of this role, Abdul-Jabbar has traveled to Brazil to promote education for local youths.