INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT AND BLACK EUROPEANS; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 52
(Extensions of Remarks - March 26, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT AND
BLACK EUROPEANS
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HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
of florida
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution
with my good friends and colleagues, Representatives Gregory Meeks of
New York, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, and John Lewis of Georgia, which
recognizes People of African Descent and Black Europeans.
Our resolution would observe the history and current situation of
People of African Descent living in Europe and Black Europeans during
the United Nations designated International Decade for People of
African Descent. It also encourages the U.S. Secretary of State to take
a number of steps to ensure their situation is improved following
recommendations from last year's People of African Descent Week
(PADWEEK) held by our colleagues in the European Parliament in
Brussels, Belgium May 13-17, 2018.
As it was quite rightly put by European Parliamentarian Cecile
Kyenge, ``The People of African Descent Week reaffirms European values
by developing strategic and coherent responses to make our society more
inclusive in the face of rising racial prejudice and violence across
Europe.'' Recommendations from the week included a European Black
History Month and Remembrance Day for Victims of Colonialism and
Enslavement; a fund for Black European led initiatives to address
continuing disparities and discrimination and support for empowerment
initiatives; European-wide strategies for the inclusion of People of
African Descent; and support for transatlantic exchanges on common
issues of racial prejudice and discrimination.
The need for recognition of Black populations in Europe became clear
ten years ago when I chaired a U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing
entitled, The State of (In)visible Black Europe: Race, Rights, and
Politics, where we learned that the situation in Europe is very similar
to the one in the United States. While the presence of Blacks in Europe
can be traced to enslavement, colonization, military deployments,
voluntary or forced migration, the movement of refugees and asylum
seekers, or educational and other professional exchanges, the story of
Europeans of African Descent and Black Europeans still remains largely
untold, rendering many of their past and present contributions to the
very fabric of Europe unseen or forgotten, which is unacceptable.
Madam Speaker, it is my hope that when we gather in the years to come
to review the efforts of the United Nations designated International
Decade for People of African Descent, we will not only speak of how our
efforts resulted in our respective nations publicly recognizing the
injustices and long-term impact of slavery and colonialism, but also of
how our societies reconciled these issues in a manner that ensured
equal opportunity, access, and justice for all people of African
descent.
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