[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 389 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 389

      Recognizing persons of African descent in Europe during the 
           International Year for People of African Descent.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 2011

 Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Recognizing persons of African descent in Europe during the 
           International Year for People of African Descent.

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 
        living in Europe;
Whereas more than an estimated 7,000,000 individuals of African descent 
        currently live in and have long had a presence in Europe, forming an 
        influential part of the African diaspora;
Whereas this year the United Nations designated 2011 as the International Year 
        for People of African Descent whereby Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 
        Clinton remarked, ``In the 21st century, diversity, openness, and 
        tolerance, are vital national assets'';
Whereas the recognition of this year seeks 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;
Whereas the story of Black Europeans remains 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 Blacks 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), and the Netherlands (approximately 500,000), in addition to 
        sizeable populations in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, 
        Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria;
Whereas the presence of Blacks in Europe can be traced to voluntary and forced 
        migration resulting from the geographical proximity of Europe to Africa 
        and the Middle East, including the transatlantic slave trade, the 
        colonization of Africa and the Caribbean, African and African-American 
        military deployments, 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 and continue to be 
        more likely than the general population to experience discrimination and 
        be underrepresented in leadership roles in the public and private sector 
        as a result of the color of their skin and ancestry;
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'';
Whereas racism has long been, and continues to be, a problem in Europe;
Whereas the 1997 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 the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (EUFRA), formerly the 
        European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia, has found in its 
        annual report that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately 
        experiencing discrimination in housing, education, health care, 
        employment, the criminal justice system, and access to political 
        participation;
Whereas the 2009 European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS), 
        the first European Union-wide survey of ethnic minority and immigrant 
        groups' experiences of discrimination and victimization in everyday life 
        in the 27 member states of the European Union found that persons of 
        African descent experienced higher incidents than most other minority 
        groups of discriminatory treatment, racist crime, and victimization, and 
        lacked an awareness of their rights;
Whereas the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office 
        for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Annual Hate Crimes report 
        has found that persons of African descent are often targets of racist 
        violence, especially in eastern Europe, yet in many countries legal 
        assistance and financial support for victims while recovering from 
        violent attacks does not exist;
Whereas EU-MIDIS reports experiences of discrimination, criminal victimization, 
        and discriminatory policing are grossly underreported due to a lack of 
        rights awareness and incidents may be higher;
Whereas prejudice and discrimination towards 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 
        neo-Nazis and skinheads, who believe Europe should be a monoracial 
        society or that other races are inferior;
Whereas the Open Society Justice Initiative 2009 report, entitled ``Ethnic 
        Profiling in the European Union'', found that police officers in the 
        United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands routinely 
        used racial profiling, including targeting Blacks, when deciding whom to 
        target for stops, searches, raids, and surveillance;
Whereas Black Europeans encounter everyday racism, including denials that racism 
        exists despite the blatant use of stereotypes and derogatory terms to 
        refer to Blacks in everyday language, the media, and textbooks;
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 the 
        legal support for special measures or positive (affirmative) action, 
        creation of equality bodies, media campaigns, and efforts to increase 
        minority political participation;
Whereas these efforts also include the September 9, 2008, official launching of 
        the Black European Women's Council at the European Union headquarters 
        and the September 27, 2007, to September 29, 2007, Vienna Declaration of 
        the Black European Women's Congress, which calls for Members of the 
        European Union to enforce and implement laws to eradicate all forms of 
        discrimination, provide anti-racist education and training for personnel 
        working in educational institutions and the civil service, increase 
        political representation, participation, and employment opportunities 
        for Blacks, and address racial health disparities, including by 
        providing cultural competency training to health professionals;
Whereas these efforts also include transatlantic meetings of Black and minority 
        legislators held at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, 
        including the March 24, 2011, and June 1, 2010, through June 2, 2010, 
        Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conferences and April 15, 
        2009, through April 16, 2009, ``Black European Summit: Transatlantic 
        Dialogue on Political Participation'' and the adoption of the Brussels 
        Declaration calling for increased minority political inclusion;
Whereas, as part of the March 24, 2011, Transatlantic Minority Political 
        Leadership Conference 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 United 
        States;
Whereas these efforts also include the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) adoption 
        of a Resolution on ``Strengthening Efforts to Combat Racism and 
        Xenophobia and Foster Inclusion'' at the 2011 Annual Session recognizing 
        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 these efforts also include the creation of the European Network Against 
        Racism (ENAR) Foundation, the first antiracist foundation in Europe;
Whereas these efforts also include the August 18, 2011, to August 21, 2011, 
        World Summit of African Descendents which will include a focus on 
        Europe;
Whereas despite these efforts, international entities, such as the OSCE Personal 
        Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, 
        EUFRA, the European Commission against 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 Experts Working Group on People of African 
        Descent, have documented ongoing racism and xenophobia, and racial and 
        ethnic discrimination, and called for an increase in initiatives to 
        combat racism and inequality; and
Whereas throughout the history of the United States, members of both the public 
        and private sectors have exchanged information on best practices for 
        antidiscrimination measures and racial equality with committed parties 
        in other countries, including initiatives such as the 2008 ``Joint 
        Action Plan Between the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil 
        and the Government of the United States of America to Eliminate Racial 
        and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality'', also known as the 
        United States-Brazil Joint Action Plan Against Racial Discrimination and 
        the more recent United States-Columbia Action Plan on Racial and Ethnic 
        Equality: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of the International Year 
        for People of African Descent;
            (2) encourages the recognition and celebration of the 
        collective history and achievements made by people of African 
        descent;
            (3) reaffirms the importance of 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;
            (4) recognizes that, as a result of their skin color and 
        ancestry, many Black Europeans have wrongfully experienced 
        injustices in the public and private sector;
            (5) welcomes parliamentary activities, including those of 
        the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 
        Parliamentary Assembly, 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 racial minorities, 
        and working with Black European and other minority communities 
        to develop relevant policies;
            (6) 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 in Europe, 
        by--
                    (A) drafting and implementing antidiscrimination, 
                special measures, hate crimes, migration and 
                integration, 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 Experts Working Group on People of African Descent 
                (WGPAD), the European Commission against Racism and 
                Intolerance, the European Union Fundamental Rights 
                Agency (EUFRA), the United Nations Special Rapporteur 
                on Contemporary Forms of Racism and Independent Expert 
                on minority issues, and the OSCE Personal 
                Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and 
                Discrimination;
                    (B) promoting and funding research, including the 
                collection of national census data on Black Europeans 
                and its inclusion in the annual reports of the EUFRA;
                    (C) providing technical support, training, and 
                funding to Black European civil society groups working 
                to combat racism, discrimination, and inequality, and 
                uphold basic human rights in Europe;
                    (D) 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, slavery, and other 
                atrocities;
                    (E) 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;
                    (F) developing specific initiatives that address 
                the special concerns of Black European women and youth;
                    (G) actively promoting racial and ethnic minority 
                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 minority communities, development of targeted 
                professional development and hiring strategies, 
                increased youth and community outreach, and self-
                organization and other empowerment initiatives; and
                    (H) recruiting, training, and hiring Black 
                Europeans for professional positions in support of 
                these initiatives;
            (7) urges the Secretary of State to--
                    (A) provide technical assistance and other support 
                for European governments and members of the civil 
                society and private sector to fulfill the initiatives 
                outlined above; and
                    (B) increase support for the WGPAD; and
            (8) supports the adoption of a ``Joint Action Plan on 
        Racial and Ethnic Equality and Inclusion'' between the European 
        Union and United States and implementation of the OSCE 
        Parliamentary Assembly 2011 Resolution on Strengthening Efforts 
        to Combat Racism and Xenophobia and Foster Inclusion to assist 
        in fulfilling the initiatives above.
                                 <all>