Congressman Gregory Meeks Floor Statement for Amendment H.R. 2410

(WASHINGTON, DC)– Mr. Chairman, I rise today with an important amendment to H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. We here in the United States understand all too well that it takes more than just passing laws to ensure equal access to prosperity. It took decades of constant pressure and struggle to get the legal right to full participation of African Americans in our American democracy; yet we realize that our work is far from over in our great nation. Racial discrimination is a sobering reality, both here in the United States and in the rest of the world. We understand that we cannot throw stones from a glass house, but instead we must work in tandem with our neighbors to ensure that all citizens in our hemisphere are unfettered by discriminatory practices now and the vestiges of those practices of the past. It is in our interest to work toward a more equal Hemisphere; we are all at risk if our citizens do not have full faith in the strength of democracy to provide upward mobility. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. put it best when he said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Afro-Latinos face a long-standing struggle against racial discrimination and a lack of opportunities. Afro-Latinos make up approximately 150 million of the region’s 540 million total population, and, along with women and indigenous populations, are among the poorest, most marginalized groups in the region. People of African descent comprise a significant portion of the population in several Latin American countries, and account for nearly 50% of the region’s poor. For many Afro-descendants, endemic poverty is exacerbated by isolation, exclusion, and racial discrimination. In Brazil, Afro-Latinos represent 45% of the population but constitute 64% of the poor and 69% of the extremely poor. In Colombia the plight of Afro-Colombians is perhaps harshest as they are all too often caught in the crossfire of violent conflict.

There has been progress. We have seen Graciela Dixon become the first black woman to head Panama’s Supreme Court in 2005, and Joaquim Barbosa of Brazil rise as a prominent member of the Supreme Court. Paula Moreno stands now as Colombia’s first Afro-Colombian to serve as a minister in a presidential cabinet. In Ecuador, it was reported that a group of more than a hundred black women in 2006 sought more government assistance for housing to combat racial discrimination in the rental market. Garifunas in Honduras staged protests in the capital against a constitutional amendment that would permit foreigners to purchase property along the Atlantic coast that has been home of Garifunas since 1797. Just this year, Afro-Bolivians celebrated the passage of a new Constitution that gives them their first legal recognition. And Brazil now has the most extensive anti-discrimination legislation geared towards Afrodescendants of any country in Latin America.

However, this is just the dawn of progress. We must sustain our efforts to ensure that we never concede to complacency. Congress previously supported the United States-Brazil Joint Action Plan Against Racial Discrimination in House Resolution 1254 and called for both the United States and Brazil to promote equality and continue to work toward eliminating racial discrimination. The Joint Action Plan helps to facilitate the exchange of information on the best practices for antidiscrimination measures and development of ideas on how to bilaterally promote racial and ethnic equality. With this amendment we request that Secretary Clinton report on plans and efforts to address the plight of Afro Latinos and indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere. We also request a report on the status of the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan so that we can gain a greater understanding of how to increase our collaboration on similar initiatives.

We are witnessing a global push for greater social inclusion and economic opportunity. Encouraging equal opportunities and treatment will strengthen the democracy in our hemisphere. I am certain that the success of our own nation and that of all in the Americas is impossible without the advancement of African Descendant and indigenous populations. I urge support of this important amendment.

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