Black delegation attends Geneva conference to fight for reparations

A citywide rally and sendoff were held here in mid-April for the December 12th Movement International Secretariat’s delegation to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The conference takes place from April 20-24 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The purpose of the conference is to review the programs of action set forth in the 2001 Durban I World Conference, which called for strong anti-racism legislation, improved education about racism, and better remedies and resources for victims of racism. It will assess the progress made by countries in combating racism and see what remains to be done to obtain justice, compensation and reconciliation.

At the citywide rally, the December 12th Movement’s non-governmental organization delegation and other activist groups reinforced their determination to continue the fight of African people for recognition of the truth and righteousness of their cause. They state they’re going to Geneva to reaffirm the entitlement of the descendants of slavery to reparations, based on the 2001 U.N. Declaration that “slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should always have been so, especially the trans-Atlantic slave trade.” As such, there is no statute of limitations regarding reparations.

A documentary video was shown of the “Durban 400,” a group of 400 grassroots political activists, educators and students who, without any governmental support, traveled from the U.S. to Durban, South Africa, in 2001 to demand reparations for crimes committed against African people through the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery and colonialism. Through their lobbying efforts, the issue of reparations was placed before the international governmental body.

At the rally, the 2009 delegates expressed pride in victoriously putting reparations on the world stage in Durban and their intention to keep it on the front burner. They say they will be challenging the Obama administration’s attempt to dilute or remove language from the 2001 Declaration that would reverse their victory. The U.S. has threatened to boycott this conference if reference is made to reparations for slavery or, regarding the Palestinian struggle, to equating Zionism to racism. The U.S. is also pressuring other countries to do the same. In 2001, after just 72 hours into the conference, the official U.S. delegation walked out in protest.

Activists throughout the African Diaspora are demanding to know why President Barack Obama is not supporting Durban II. They emphasized that he must be pressured to do the right thing and implement policies to repair the damages and wrongs of U.S. crimes against humanity. For without reparations, it will be impossible for descendants to ever catch up economically, politically, socially or to achieve equality and justice. It was also mentioned that the review conference was supposed to have taken place five years after 2001, not eight years later.

The delegates stressed the importance of all activists becoming agents of change for the Reparations Movement, stepping up the struggle nationally and internationally, and supporting the delegation by holding forums, sending emails, writing letters, making phone calls and so on. While in Geneva, the delegation says it will be shoring up other groups of African peoples and make it known that the U.S. government doesn’t speak for its people on this issue. With U.S. media coverage of the 2001 conference notably absent, it’s important that doesn’t happen this year.

The delegation could only speculate about why there was a change of venue last year from Durban to Geneva. The effects of this change will most likely reduce the number of African delegations able to attend. The fact that Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in Europe will have its impact. Available funding for NGOs was also reduced this year. As a result, the cost is prohibitive for some, while others are going at their own expense.

December 12th Movement representatives reemphasized the destructive nature of capitalism for African peoples. They pointed out that both bankers and slave owners received reparations for the loss of their enslaved African labor. Additionally, Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was forced to pay reparations to their former French colonizers for their freedom from slavery. The activists reiterated that colonialism and slavery were criminal enterprises of the oppressive U.S. capitalist economic system from which so many profited from the suffering of others.

The rally reinforced that U.S. society should take a leading role in the Durban Review conference, put reparations in its historical perspective, and take necessary actions to seek solutions to repair damages. During the rally there was a reminder of a quote from Malcolm X: “Human Rights are your God-given rights that are recognized by all the nations of this earth.” The rally closed with the affirmation: “Reparations is a right. They stole us, they sold us, they owe us!”

Dolores Cox is an International Action Center organizer.