United Nations official holds hearing on racism
By
Dolores Cox
Harlem, N.Y.
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.
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