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United Nations official holds hearing on racism

Published May 29, 2008 9:38 PM

On May 22, a U.N. Special Rapporteur (Reporter), Doudou Diene, held a public hearing at the Schomburg Center in Harlem for the purpose of investigating racism and intolerance in the United States. His visit was sponsored by the December 12th Movement’s International Secretariat.

The first U.N. Special Rapporteur investigation on racism in the U.S. took place in 1994. Today, the globalized capitalist economy of the U.S. is in even worse shape than it was back then. White supremacist racism continues to be insidious and persistent.

In 2001 at the U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, issues of the “recognition of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as a crime against humanity; of reparations for descendants of the victims of slavery; and of the economic basis of racism” were lobbied. In 2009 the U.N. will hold a world conference to review the 2001 Durban World Conference Against Racism. There will be preparatory meetings held prior to the review.

Diene, who is Senegalese, is an independent expert elected by a U.N. committee. For the past eight years he has been going around the world taking testimony. He visits various countries to investigate matters of human rights (violence against women, torture, government abuses, political prisoners, racism, etc.).

Diene noted that there is an increase in racism, xenophobia, discrimination and ethnic violence worldwide. Thus far this year, he has visited approximately 25 countries as part of this mandate. New York and Washington, D.C., are on his list for this year.

He has asked, among other things, what the U.S. is doing to combat its historical foundation and legacy of racism; how race is a factor in this year’s election; and what is being done specifically to root out and eradicate racist policies and programs in our society. He added that racism is a threat to democracy.

At the four-hour hearing in Harlem, Diene posed four questions to the community: Is there racism in the U.S.? Who are the victims and the communities? What are the manifestations and expressions of racism (political, social, economic)? and What are the solutions to eradicate racism? He publicly posed these questions to the U.S. government and requested that they report back to him. After receiving reports from both community and government he announced that he will analyze the responses and formulate a position for the U.S. and the U.N. to take.

When the floor was open to the audience, both individuals and organizations were invited to speak. Testimony was provided by Valerie Bell, Sean Bell’s mother; Damien Brown, a Bell family attorney and former Bronx prosecutor; Dr. Adelaide Sanford, retired NYS Board of Regents Vice Chancellor; Rev. Wilson, St. Luke AME Church pastor and City Council Task Force on Hate Crimes member; Atty. Michael Warren on Mumia Abu-Jamal and other political prisoners; Philadelphia’s “On the Move” Communications Director on police brutality; December 12th Movement Mental Health Committee; Coalition to Save Harlem; Director of Sankofa Empowerment; Haitian and Latin@ immigrants; Muslim community activists on post 9/11; and students and professors/teachers from N.Y.C. and Yonkers public schools, Columbia University, and CUNY and SUNY colleges.

At the end of the hearing, Diene invited anyone else wanting to provide testimony to contact him at Special Rapporteur on Racism, Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais Wilson, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Or via e-mail: sr-racism @ohchr.org. Copies of any information sent to Diene also can be sent to the December 12th Movement International Secretariat , 456 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11216 or [email protected].

The writer is an International Action Center activist in New York.