Time to dismantle legacies of slavery and colonialism impacting African diaspora

Philémon Yang was speaking at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters to mark the closure of the International Decade for People of African Descent - a global opportunity to both honour the often-overlooked contributions this population has made to human civilization and highlight racial injustice endured across centuries.

Promote inclusion, combat racism

In proclaiming the International Decade, the General Assembly adopted a programme of activities and proposed concrete measures aimed at fostering greater inclusion while combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Progress has included establishing a Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which reports to the UN Human Rights Council, and most recently, the declaration of 25 July as the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent. 

Additionally, several countries have, for the first time, taken legislative and policy actions as well as other measures to specifically address issues faced by the disaspora. 

No time to rest

Mr. Yang warned, however, that “we must not rest on our laurels” as much work remains to be done.

“Ten years into this Decade, people of African descent still endure systemic racism and discrimination – realities rooted in the enduring legacies of enslavement and colonialism,” he said.

“We must confront and dismantle these legacies to ensure that people of African descent enjoy their full civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.”

He said efforts towards recognition, justice and development must continue, and strongly supported consideration of a Second International Decade to sustain these goals. 

Learn and build

A top UN human rights official, Ilze Brands Kehris, echoed the suggestion. Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, she said the meeting was “a call to faster action, greater collaboration, and deeper determination” towards a world free from racism.

The “starting point” requires learning the lessons and building on the successes of the International Decade that is coming to a close. 

“We need to maintain the momentum gained over the past 10 years – the multiple new laws and policies, greater recognition of people of African descent and their invaluable contribution to our societies,” said Ms. Kehris, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights.

“The proclamation of a Second International Decade is key to that goal. It must be inclusive, focused, and underpinned by strong leadership and political will.”

Intersectionality and anti-Blackness

American civil rights activist and law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” more than 30 years ago to describe how various forms of inequality – for example, related to race, gender, ethnicity and class - interact and exacerbate each other.

The co-founder and Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum, a non-governmental organization (NGO), reflected on the challenges of intersectionality in advancing the full and equal participation of people of African descent in all aspects of society. 

“Conditions of African-descended people around the globe reflect the intersections of anti-Blackness with a wide variety of social, economic and historical factors, such as high rates of maternal deaths and maternal health disparities across income levels and national and regional borders,” she said.

“The gender dimensions of intersectionality are also reflected in the vulnerability of African-descendant men to State violence and incarceration - a vulnerability shared in some context by women as well,” she said, noting that access to education, political power and cultural recognition “are all legible through an intersectional lens”.

Affirm our common humanity

Ms. Crenshaw urged the international community to resist calls to abandon efforts toward greater inclusion.  

She cited the late Nelson Mandela who once told the General Assembly that the universal struggle against apartheid in South Africa was not an act of charity but an affirmation of our common humanity. 

“As such, let the Second Decade for People of African Descent be a reminder of our common humanity and that we are not fully free until all people are free,” she said. 

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This story was first published by UN News.