This resolution encourages the recognition of the collective history and achievements of people of African descent and reaffirms the importance of their equal participation in all aspects of political, economic, social, and cultural life.
The resolution also recognizes that many Black Europeans have experienced injustices in the public and private sector and welcomes European efforts to promote racial equality and combat discrimination.
Further, the resolution urges the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support efforts to promote equality.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 132 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 132
Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 18, 2021
Mr. Hastings (for himself, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr.
Cohen, Mr. Meeks, and Mr. Rush) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans.
Whereas the 109th Congress passed H. Con. Res. 60 and S. Con. Res. 90,
recognizing African descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean,
raising awareness of the racism and discrimination faced by those
communities, and leading to numerous public and private sector
initiatives between the United States and Latin American and Caribbean
countries to improve the situation of African descendants;
Whereas the persistence of racism and discrimination in Europe similarly
necessitates congressional action to raise awareness and promote public
and private sector initiatives to stem this trend;
Whereas the terms ``Afro-European'', ``African European'', or ``Black European''
refer to people of African ancestry or descent born in, citizens of, or
residing in Europe;
Whereas an estimated 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 Black Europeans live in and have
long had a presence in Europe, forming an influential part of the
African diaspora;
Whereas the story of Black Europeans remains widely untold, rendering many of
their past and present contributions to the political and social life of
Europe invisible or forgotten;
Whereas unlike more contemporary figures, largely unknown Black Europeans have
made significant contributions to European history and culture,
including Spanish poet Juan Latino, Italian Duke Alessandro Medici,
French novelist Alexandre Dumas, German scholar Anthony William Amo,
French Composer Le Chevalier de St. George, British abolitionist Oladuah
Equiano, and Russian General and Governor Abram Hannibal, great-
grandfather of Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin;
Whereas the largest estimated populations of Black Europeans can be found in
France (approximately 2,500,000), the United Kingdom (approximately
1,500,000), Germany (approximately 1,000,000), and the Netherlands
(approximately 500,000), in addition to sizeable populations in Italy,
Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium,
Denmark, and Austria;
Whereas the presence of Black Europeans can be traced throughout ancient history
to the present from both voluntary and forced migration resulting from
the geographical proximity of Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the
transatlantic slave trade, the colonization of Africa and the Caribbean,
African and African-American military deployments, to the movement of
refugees and asylum seekers, and educational and other professional
exchanges;
Whereas although Black Europeans have made significant achievements in and
contributions to European society, large numbers have experienced and
continue to be more likely than the general population to experience
discrimination and to be underrepresented in leadership roles in the
public and private sector;
Whereas racism has long been, and continues to be, a problem in Europe;
Whereas, on April 29, 2008, before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, at a hearing entitled ``The State of (In)visible Black Europe:
Race, Rights, and Politics'', Dr. Philomena Essed stated, ``Probably the
only common European experience among many, if not all, Afro-descendants
is their exposure to [. . .] racism and systemic discrimination,
regardless of country, socio-economic conditions, gender, age, or level
of education'', author Gary Younge stated, ``We are here because you
were there [. . .]'', and Swedish Parliamentarian Joe Frans called for
``a transatlantic dialogue on the experiences of [people of African
descent]'';
Whereas, as early as 1997, the European Commission opinion poll entitled
``Racism and Xenophobia in Europe'' reported a ``worrying level of
racism and xenophobia in [European Union] member states, with nearly 33%
of those interviewed openly describing themselves as `quite racist' or
`very racist'.'';
Whereas annual reports of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and
both the 2009 and 2018 European Union Minorities and Discrimination
Survey (EU-MIDIS I and II), the first European Union-wide surveys of
ethnic minority and immigrant groups' experiences of discrimination and
victimization in everyday life in the then 28 member states of the
European Union, found that persons of African descent experience high
incidents of discriminatory treatment, racially motivated crime, and
victimization, and lacked an awareness of their rights, often
underreporting cases of hate crimes and other forms of discrimination to
law enforcement and human rights agencies, and that the situation had
not drastically improved in the years between the two reports;
Whereas, in November 2018, the FRA launched ``Being Black in the EU: Second
European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey'', and called for
member states to develop specific solutions and guidance to address
findings that 30 percent of respondents had been racially harassed, 5
percent physically attacked, 25 percent discriminated against at work or
when looking for work, up to 76 percent faced unemployment in some
countries, and were experiencing high rates of discrimination in housing
and in the justice system, including profiling by law enforcement;
Whereas the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' (OSCE/ODIHR) most recent 2019
hate crimes report found more than 3,000 racist and xenophobic
incidents, including a number targeting Black Europeans, while OSCE
reports in previous years found a number of deaths and violent assaults
against ``people of African origin'', and that they are often targets of
racist and antimigrant violence, especially in Eastern Europe, yet in
many countries hate crimes are underreported and legal assistance and
financial support for victims while recovering from violent attacks does
not exist;
Whereas prejudice and discrimination toward Black Europeans has also been linked
to changes in immigration and asylum laws as a result of antiterrorism
initiatives and the growth and mainstreaming of nationalist and anti-
immigrant political parties and groups, including White supremacists,
neo-Nazis, and skinheads;
Whereas, over a decade ago, numerous civil society reports, including the 2009
report entitled, ``Ethnic Profiling in the European Union'', and
subsequent reports found that police officers in the United Kingdom,
France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia routinely use racial
profiling, including targeting African descendants when deciding whom to
target for stops, searches, raids, and surveillance, leading at that
time to some of the largest Europeanwide grassroots and legal efforts to
end racial profiling in France, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, and
over a decade of pan-European antiracism and empowerment initiatives
continuing until this day and recently highlighted by global racial
justice movements in response to the tragic death of George Floyd in the
United States;
Whereas there have been numerous efforts by the public and private sector to
address racial discrimination and inequality in Europe, including the
introduction of antidiscrimination and equality laws that include legal
support for special measures or positive (affirmative) action, creation
of equality bodies, media campaigns, and efforts to increase minority
political participation, and campaigns to end the use of stereotypes and
derogatory terms to refer to people of African descent in everyday
language, the media, and textbooks;
Whereas these efforts include the United Nations designation of 2011 as the
International Year for People of African Descent and 2015-2024 as the
International Decade for People of African Descent in an effort to
strengthen national actions to ensure that people of African descent
enjoy economic, cultural, social, civil, and political rights, as well
as promote a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage
and culture, and the November 12 and 13, 2009, United Nations (UN)
Second Session of the Forum on Minority Issues focused on Minorities and
Effective Political Participation convened by United Nations Independent
Expert on Minority Issues, Gay McDougall;
Whereas these efforts also include the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's (PA) annual
reports of the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and
Intolerance, and the adoption of Resolutions: ``A Call for OSCE Action
to Address Violence and Discrimination'' in 2016, ``Addressing Racism
and Xenophobia Affecting People of African Descent in the OSCE Region''
in 2012, and ``Strengthening Efforts to Combat Racism and Xenophobia and
Foster Inclusion'' in 2011 that included recognition of the
International Year for People of African Descent, and calling for the
OSCE to implement several strategic initiatives to address racial and
ethnic discrimination in the OSCE region;
Whereas, in 2011, OSCE/ODIHR held its first ``Roundtable on the contemporary
forms of racism and xenophobia affecting Peoples of African Descent in
the OSCE region'', organized by Racism and Xenophobia Advisor Larry
Olomoofe, and has since annually hosted antidiscrimination initiatives
that include a focus on people of African descent on hate crimes, women,
political participation, strengthening civil society, and other issues;
Whereas these efforts also include transatlantic meetings of Black European and
other diverse legislators held annually at the European Parliament in
Brussels, Belgium, and in the United States Congress in Washington, DC,
including the April 17-19, 2009, ``Black European Summit: Transatlantic
Dialogue on Political Participation'' and adoption of the Brussels
Declaration on political participation; and subsequent ``Transatlantic
Minority Political Leadership Conferences'';
Whereas, as part of the March 24, 2011, Transatlantic Minority Political
Leadership Conference (TMPLC), legislators and minority leaders from
North America and Europe held a Parliamentary Forum at the European
Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss a ``Joint Action Plan on
Racial and Ethnic Equality and Inclusion'' between the European Union
and the United States;
Whereas, in 2011, Members of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership
Conference worked in partnership with the German Marshall Fund, the
Department of State, and other stakeholders to found the Transatlantic
Inclusion Leaders Network (TILN) to increase diverse representation in
policymaking;
Whereas at the U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing Public Diplomacy, Democracy, and
Global Leadership, Lora Berg stated, ``When our actual diversity is
reflected in leadership, we gain extraordinary richness and capacity,
new avenues for innovation, global connections and growth. To achieve
this, we must bring our leadership opportunities to new populations and
develop the social capital to make this possible. The future of
transatlantic relations depends on [the] entrepreneurial approach [of
TILN].'';
Whereas, in October 2013, European parliamentarians in partnership with the
European Network Against Racism (ENAR) held ``(In)visible Diversity'' a
series of debates in the European Parliament, including a debate
entitled, ``People of African Descent and Black Europeans: Realities of
Afrophobia'' and in 2015 released the first pan-European policy guide
reviewing the current situation entitled, ``ENAR Anti-Racism in Focus
2--InvisibleVisible Minority: Confronting Afrophobia and Advancing
Equality for People of African Descent and Black Europeans in Europe''
under the guidance of ENAR Chair Chibo Onyeji and Vice Chair Momodou
Jallow;
Whereas, in January 2014, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) adopted Resolution 1967 (2014) on ``A strategy to prevent racism
and intolerance in Europe'' and implemented the recommendations;
Whereas, in January 2015, PACE established the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance, a
network of parliamentarians committed to countering racism, intolerance,
and hate speech, and the mandate of General Rapporteur on Combating
Racism and Intolerance, acting as coordinator of the Alliance;
Whereas, in January 2017, the European Network Against Racism published
``Towards an EU Framework for National Strategies to Combat Afrophobia
and Promote Inclusion of People of African Descent and Black Europeans''
to urge EU member states to adopt ``strong and specific policies to
address Afrophobia, including its structural dimensions and impact on
economic and social outcomes for people of African descent and Black
Europeans, including in employment, housing, education, health,
political participation, criminal justice and other sectors'';
Whereas, on July 25, 2017, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
stated, ``The position of Black people in Europe needs to be
strengthened, irrespective of whether it concerns recent migrants from
Africa or already established Black communities [. . .] European states
must first come to terms with their own past [including] publicly
acknowledge that slavery, the slave trade and colonialism are among the
major sources of current discrimination against Black people.'', and
recommended European states implement strategies across health,
education, justice, employment, and other sectors;
Whereas, in October 2017, the United Kingdom Prime Minister released the Race
Disparity Audit ``examin[ing] how people of different backgrounds are
treated across areas including health, education, employment and the
criminal justice system'', which found inequalities in education,
housing, income and employment, justice, and health between persons of
African and Caribbean background and others, and published the findings
online, appointed Nero Ughwujabo as the first Special Advisor of the
Race Disparity Audit, Lord Simon Woolley as Chair of the Race Equality
Unit Advisory Board, and announced 90 million British pounds to
implement strategies to address disparities found by the audit;
Whereas, in 2018, Polish Sejm Member Killion Munyama, Rapporteur of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee on Equality
and Non-Discrimination authored measures that were adopted on
``Promoting diversity and equality in politics'' that identified
challenges to political participation faced by visible minorities and
due to skin color;
Whereas the May 19, 2018, royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the
Duke of Sussex, also raised awareness of the long history and situation
of African descent populations in Europe;
Whereas, on May 13 through 17, 2018, the European Parliament and European
Economic and Social Committee, under the leadership of European
Parliamentarian Cecile Kyenge of Italy, hosted the inaugural People of
African Descent Week (PAD Week) in Brussels, Belgium, in partnership
with the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup
(ARDI), Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference (TMPLC),
Each One Teach One (EOTO), the European Network Against Racism (ENAR),
and supported by congressional members of the United States Helsinki
Commission;
Whereas PAD Week featured over a hundred experts, activists, and policymakers to
increase awareness of people of African descent living in Europe and to
discuss solutions to address the racial discrimination and violence they
face;
Whereas Member of the European Parliament Cecile Kyenge stated, ``In addition to
honouring the history and contribution of Europe's Black population, 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.'';
Whereas PAD Week final recommendations call on European Union institutions and
national governments to specifically adopt a set of initiatives for
Black Europeans, including--
(1) recognize past injustices and contributions and adopt a European
Black History Month and Remembrance Day for Victims of Colonialism and
Enslavement;
(2) fund Black European-led initiatives to address continuing
disparities and discrimination, and support empowerment initiatives through
the creation of caucuses, civil society funds, and fellowships;
(3) adopt a Parliamentary Resolution and EU Framework for National
Strategies for Inclusion of People of African Descent in Europe; and
(4) support transatlantic exchanges to support common solutions to
common issues of racial prejudice and discrimination;
Whereas, on April 4, 2019, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel apologized
during a plenary session of the Belgian Parliament in Brussels for
taking thousands of children from mixed-race couples during its
colonial-era rule of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and
Rwanda;
Whereas, on June 24, 2019, the Amsterdam City Council agreed to research the
city's role in the transatlantic slave trade, issue a public apology,
and called upon the Dutch Prime Minister to also issue an apology for
the slave trade, prompting similar efforts across European cities and
countries;
Whereas, between September 23-25, 2019, efforts to improve the situation of
Black and other diverse communities in Europe continued as part of the
EP and civil society-led Anti-Racism and Diversity Week;
Whereas, between November 28-30, 2019, the Afro-German civil society
organization Each One Teach One (EOTO) organized PADWEEK Germany in the
Bundestag (German Parliament) featuring more than 30 Afro-German
organizations to advance policy solutions to the situation of Black
populations in Germany;
Whereas, in March 2020, the German federal government created the Committee
against Right-Wing Extremism and Racism (Kabinettausschuss zur
Bekampfung von Rechtsextremismus und Rassismus) leading to the November
2020 adoption of a series of measures and close to a billion euros in
funding to address the problem including victim protection and
preventative measures;
Whereas, in June 2020, King Philippe of Belgium on the occasion of the 60th
anniversary of the independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo
wrote: ``During the time of the Congo Free State [1885-1908], acts of
violence and brutality were committed that weigh still on our collective
memory. The colonial period that followed also caused suffering and
humiliations. I would like to express my deepest regrets for the wounds
of the past, the pain of today, which is rekindled by the discrimination
all too present in our society'';
Whereas, on September 20, 2020, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) in cooperation with the European
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights, Committee on
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and the European Parliament
Liaison Office in Washington, DC, adopted a Joint Declaration To
Reinforce US-EU Parliamentary Coordination To Combat Racism And
Discrimination on both sides of the Atlantic following the Joint Meeting
on Reinforcing U.S.-EU Parliamentary Coordination to Combat Racism and
Systemic Discrimination where the EU Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli
presented the EU's first-ever Anti-Racism Action Plan;
Whereas, on December 2, 2020, European institutions held an inaugural event
entitled, ``Recognizing the Past, Repairing the Present, Building the
Future'' to commemorate the first European Day for the Abolition of the
Slave Trade;
Whereas throughout 2020 PACE's No Hate Parliamentary Alliance raised awareness
of discrimination against people of African descent in Europe through
hearings on subjects including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
vulnerable groups, the infiltration of racist and far-right extremists
in law enforcement bodies and the military, and structural and
institutional racism;
Whereas, in January 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
adopted Resolution 2364 (2021) on ``Ethnic profiling in Europe: a matter
of great concern''; and
Whereas in addition to EU institutions, international entities such as the OSCE
Personal Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and
Discrimination, OSCE/ODIHR Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit, OSCE
PA Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance,
FRA, COE Human Rights Commissioner, European Commission against Racism
and Intolerance (ECRI) and PACE General Rapporteur on combating racism
and intolerance, and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of
Racism, Independent Expert on Minority Issues, and the Working Group of
Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD), have all documented
ongoing racism and xenophobia, and racial and ethnic discrimination, and
called for increases in initiatives to combat racism and inequality and
foster inclusion: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) encourages the recognition and celebration of the
collective history and achievements made by people of African
descent;
(2) reaffirms the importance of antiracism initiatives,
inclusion, and the full and equal participation of people of
African descent around the world in all aspects of political,
economic, social, and cultural life;
(3) recognizes that many Black Europeans have wrongfully
experienced injustices in the public and private sector;
(4) welcomes parliamentary activities, including those of
the European Parliament, Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, and United States Congress,
to engage in efforts to promote racial equality and combat
racial discrimination through efforts such as introducing
legislation, speaking out against racism, increasing the
political participation of diverse populations through
initiatives such as the Transatlantic Minority Political
Leadership Conference and Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders
Network, and working with Black European and other diverse
communities to develop relevant policies;
(5) urges European governments and members of civil society
and the private sector, in consultation with Black European
communities, to develop and implement initiatives to combat
racial discrimination and promote racial equality and inclusion
in Europe, by--
(A) implementing the European Parliament resolution
of 19 June 2020 on the anti-racism protests following
the death of George Floyd, the EU Anti-racism Action
Plan, and developing a Framework for National
Strategies to Promote Inclusion of and Combat
Discrimination towards people of African descent and
Black Europeans;
(B) drafting and implementing antidiscrimination,
special measures, hate crimes, migration and
integration, inclusion, and other laws and policies to
address discrimination and disparities and promote
equality, noting the recommendations of the United
Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, the Working Group of Experts on People
of African Descent, the European Union Fundamental
Rights Agency, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on
Contemporary Forms of Racism and Independent Expert on
Minority Issues, Council of Europe Human Rights
Commissioner and European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance, and the OSCE Personal Representative on
Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination and
OSCE/ODIHR Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit;
(C) promoting and funding research, including the
collection of national census data on Black Europeans
and its inclusion in the annual reports of the FRA and
other official reporting at the EU and national levels;
(D) providing technical support, training, and
funding to Black European civil society and private
sector groups and experts working to combat racism,
discrimination, and inequality, uphold basic human
rights in Europe, and increase economic opportunity and
empowerment;
(E) introducing national measures to counter
stereotypical images of persons of African descent, by
revising textbooks, increasing efforts to include Black
Europeans in history and heritage institutions, and
remembering victims of colonialism, enslavement, and
other atrocities;
(F) developing or increasing financial support for
funds to assist victims of hate crimes with legal
assistance and compensation when incapacitated due to
physical or emotional injuries;
(G) actively promoting racial and ethnic
representation and participation at all levels of
national, regional, and local government through the
education of civil and political rights, including the
legislative process and advocacy of legislative issues
relevant to racial and ethnic communities, development
of targeted professional advancement and hiring
strategies, increased youth and community outreach, and
self-organization and other empowerment initiatives;
and
(H) recruiting, training, hiring, and retaining
Black Europeans for professional positions in support
of these initiatives;
(6) urges the Secretary of State and Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to--
(A) provide technical assistance and other support
for European governments and members of the civil
society and private sector to fulfill the initiatives
described above, including by expanding United States
Government efforts with the OSCE to increase the
capacity of members of African descent communities to
address discrimination;
(B) increase support for the Working Group of
Experts on People of African Descent and International
Decade for People of African Descent; and
(C) establish a Global Office of African Descent
Affairs within the Department of State headed by senior
officials to develop and implement global foreign
policy and assistance strategies to improve the
situation of people of African descent, create a
Department of State fund to support antidiscrimination
and empowerment efforts by African descent-led civil
society organizations around the world, and include a
section on discrimination faced by people of African
descent in the Department of State's Annual Country
Reports Human Rights Practices, and work with USAID and
other United States Government agencies to implement
the strategy;
(7) supports the adoption of a ``Joint Action Plan on
Racial and Ethnic Equality and Inclusion'' between the European
Union and United States modeled after similar United States
agreements with Colombia and Brazil, and implementation of the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Resolutions on People of African
Descent and addressing racial and xenophobic violence and
discrimination to assist in fulfilling the initiatives above;
and
(8) urges the Secretary of State and the Administrator of
USAID to provide a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on Department of
State and USAID efforts to address global racial and ethnic
discrimination, including any funding efforts or international
exchange opportunities for civil society.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E141-142)
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber.
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