African/African Descendants Caucus
Report from Ann Fagan Ginger's Trip in May 2001
"World conference against racism a great successful beginning." - MCLI Delegation
The African/African Descendants Caucus led a strong movement
- demanding that governments declare slavery a crime against humanity
- for an apology from slave and slave-trading nations, and
- for reparations.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu told many of the 15,000 delegates to the NGO Forum that acknowledgment and apology heal both victims and colonials.
The governmental conference attended by 160 nations finally agreed that "slavery should have been called a crime against humanity," and "appreciates" the nations that "have... [expressed] regret or ... remorse or [presented] apologies, and calls upon all ... who have not yet contributed to restoring the dignity of the victims to find appropriate ways to do so" in the final governmental WCAR Declaration and Platform for Action.
"This was a great victory!" said Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and she called it the basis for further efforts. MCLI's 12 delegates to the NGO Forum that preceded the WCAR agreed that slavery and reparations are now clearly on the UN agenda and are ready for discussion in communities in the U.S. and the world. The MCLI delegation worked constantly in various ways to help bring about these and many other goals.
Everyone participated in the Youth Education & Racism workshop Aug. 30, chaired by Judge Claudia Morcom of Detroit. Cong. Barbara Lee (D-CA) opened, describing some of her initiatives against racial discrimination. Carole Kennerly and Dorothy Smith Patterson talked about racism in health care in Berkeley; Cabral Bonner, Howard Moore, and Jane Bond Moore gave specific examples of racism in education in the Bay Area; Colleen Rohan and Charles Bonner talked about race and the death penalty and the criminal justice system; Charles Henry discussed reparations from his viewpoint and the neo liberal attack on the concept, while Ann Fagan Ginger described ways to combat racism at the local level. Kusum Singh described problems with media coverage of racism issues, and Gayatri Singh described successful work against racism, and the caste system, in Mumbai, India. The audience participated, giving examples from Atlanta, Iceland, Denver, and elsewhere.
For 12 busy days and evenings, MCLI delegates met with International Association of Democratic Lawyers delegates from Bulgaria, France, Cameroon, Birmingham, and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers from South Africa. We heard seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus. We worked in the Globalization, Criminal Justice, and Health & Education Caucuses, and ... all working to strengthen the language first in the NGO Declaration and Platform for Action, and then to oppose watered-down language in the Governmental Declaration and Platform for Action.
Meanwhile, some MCLI delegates talked with scores of delegates from everywhere while selling MCLI material. At least once every day, or evening, we joined a vigil or parade -- for the Dalits of India, for all indigenous peoples, shouting slogans. And a hurried meeting of representatives from all U.S. NGOs met and marched against U.S. withdrawal shouting:
"U.S. is a racist nation." "All over the world."
Trips to Zulu land, the country of Lesotho, through the City of Durban and the township of Phoeniz, each led stories of conversations with strong black, black black[1], Indian, coloured, and white people in beautiful hills, woods, settlements.
The MCLI delegation met to plan how to give the best Report Backs and to write and publish a strong, clear report on WCAR and after. For WCAR material, contact MCLI.
1. The newest term to describe improverished black Africans.