[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 615 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 615
Celebrating the goals and ideals of the first International Day for
People of African Descent, particularly the principle that ``all human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the
potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-
being of their societies''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 31, 2021
Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Payne, Mr. Johnson of Georgia,
Mr. Carson, Ms. Norton, Mr. Evans, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Williams
of Georgia, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin,
Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Bass, Mr. Rush, and Mr. David Scott of
Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the goals and ideals of the first International Day for
People of African Descent, particularly the principle that ``all human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the
potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-
being of their societies''.
Whereas the International Day for People of African Descent will be celebrated
for the first time on August 31, 2021;
Whereas the United Nations has created this observance via Resolution 75/170 in
an effort to ``promote the extraordinary contributions of the African
diaspora around the world and to eliminate all forms of discrimination
against people of African descent'';
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2015-2024 as the
International Decade for People of African Descent focused on the goals
of recognition, justice, and development;
Whereas worldwide, as many as 1.6 billion people identify themselves as part of
the worldwide African Diaspora, including as many as 200 million in the
Americas;
Whereas, as many as 67 percent of residents of the Caribbean are of African
descent;
Whereas, as many as 46.8 million people in the United States identify themselves
as Black or African American, and have continually made important
contributions to the political, economic, and sociocultural development
of our Nation;
Whereas W.E.B. Du Bois, famed American sociologist, activist, and co-founder of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is
credited with defining the concept of the African Diaspora;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the intersectional and compounded forms of
racial discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion experienced by
people of African descent;
Whereas the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans
in the United States catalyzed people around the world to protest racism
and prompted a global reckoning on racial justice;
Whereas, on June 19, 2020, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted by
consensus Resolution 43/1 on the ``Promotion and protection of the human
rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and people of African
descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations
by law enforcement officers'';
Whereas pursuant to that resolution, United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights Michelle Bachelet released a report on systemic racism and police
brutality against Africans and people of African descent at the hands of
law enforcement around the world, which examined such cases in 62
countries including the United States;
Whereas that report acknowledges the ``stark socioeconomic and political
marginalization'' experienced by people of African descent in
communities around the world as a result of persistent racial
discrimination and structural inequalities;
Whereas the report establishes a four-point agenda toward transformative change
for racial justice and equality and calls on member states to--
(1) reverse cultures of denial, dismantle systemic racism, and
accelerate the pace of action;
(2) end impunity for human rights violations by law enforcement
officials and close trust deficits in this area;
(3) ensure that the voices of people of African descent and those who
stand up against racism are heard and that their concerns are acted upon;
and
(4) acknowledge and confront legacies, including through accountability
and redress;
Whereas High Commissioner Bachelet stated on July 12, 2021, that there is ``an
urgent need to confront the legacies of enslavement, the transatlantic
slave trade, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies
and systems, and to seek reparatory justice'';
Whereas, on July 13, 2021, the Human Rights Council adopted consensus Resolution
47/21 ``Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental
freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive
use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement
officers through transformative change for racial justice and
equality'', now informally known as the ``George Floyd Resolution'';
Whereas this resolution establishes an international independent expert
mechanism for an initial period of three years to investigate
governments' responses to peaceful antiracism protests and all
violations of international human rights law and to contribute to
accountability and redress for victims;
Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a public statement issuing a
historic, formal, standing invitation to all United Nations experts who
report and advise on thematic human rights issues to come to the United
States, including a specific invitation for the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism and the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on minority issues;
Whereas, on August 2, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly, including the
United States, unanimously adopted a resolution to create the Permanent
Forum on People of African Descent, a consultative mechanism for people
of African descent and other stakeholders as a platform for improving
the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African
descent;
Whereas persistent racial inequities in education, health care, housing, jobs,
wages, social security and veteran benefits, land ownership, financial
assistance, food security, voting rights, and the justice system endure
in American society and institutions; and
Whereas these inequities are rooted in our Nation's 250-year history of chattel
slavery and systemic racism at the expense of people of African descent:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) celebrates the goals and ideals of the first
International Day for People of African Descent, particularly
the principle that ``all human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute
constructively to the development and well-being of their
societies'';
(2) condemns any doctrine of racial superiority as
scientifically and empirically false, morally condemnable,
socially unjust, and dangerous to democracy everywhere and
calls for its rejection, together with theories that attempt to
determine the existence of separate human races;
(3) strongly condemns the continuing violent practices and
excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies against
Africans and people of African descent and condemns structural
racism in criminal justice systems in the United States and
around the world;
(4) acknowledges the transatlantic slave trade as one of
the darkest chapters in our human history and upholds human
dignity and equality for the victims of slavery, the slave
trade, and colonialism, in particular people of African descent
in the African Diaspora;
(5) commits to pursue a legislative agenda to eliminate the
persistent racial inequities here in the United States in
education, health care, housing, jobs, wages, Social Security
and veteran benefits, land ownership, financial assistance,
food security, voting rights, and the justice system; and
(6) stands in solidarity with people of African descent
across the diaspora against systemic racism and supports the
transformational agenda for racial justice and equality as
identified in the Systemic Racism Report, and implemented
through the subsequent Human Rights Council Resolution and the
Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
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