[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1633-E1634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING BLACK EUROPEAN SUMMIT: TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUE ON POLITICAL 
                               INCLUSION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a 
resolution recognizing the first ``Black European Summit: Transatlantic 
Dialogue on Political Inclusion'' and ensuing Brussels Declaration.
  The Black European Summit (BES) was held in Brussels, Belgium at the 
European Parliament on April 15th and 16th. The historic 2-day Summit 
brought together political and intellectual minority leaders from the 
United States and Europe to exchange information on the roles of racial 
and ethnic minority policymakers in developing and supporting policies 
and initiatives to address racism, discrimination, and inequality.
  The event was hosted and organized by myself, Harlem Desir, Member of 
the European Parliament; Joe Frans, President of the United Nations 
Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent and a former 
Swedish Parliamentarian; Claude Moraes, Member of the European 
Parliament and President of the European Parliament All Party Group on 
Anti-Racism and Diversity; and Glyn Ford, former Member of the European 
Parliament.
  Participants included Parliamentarians, Congressional 
representatives, local and nationally elected officials, academics, 
representatives from European and international institutions, civil 
society, the private sector, and media from Black and other minority 
backgrounds.
  During the Summit we exchanged information and best practices on 
addressing structural barriers that impact minority political 
participation, including implementing initiatives that address racism 
and discrimination.
  Like in the United States, it was noted that despite the numerous 
contributions of minorities to European society, minorities still face 
the daily challenges of racism and discrimination. This includes being 
the targets of violent hate crimes, many of which in recent years have 
resulted in death. Existing inequalities in education, housing, and 
employment remain a problem and racial profiling is often a norm. 
Obstacles for addressing these problems, include the lack of minorities 
in leadership positions and the rise of racist and xenophobic political 
parties seeking to implement non-inclusive policies.
  Summit participants committed to addressing these issues by adopting 
the Brussels Declaration, which calls for: (1) concrete action to 
assist ethnic and racial minorities in obtaining full access to 
participation in the political sphere and relevant areas of decision 
making, especially in the development and implementation of policy 
initiatives to address racial and ethnic discrimination and inequality; 
and (2) to support future opportunities to exchange and share 
perspectives in these areas through a sustained transatlantic dialogue.
  As I continue to work on these initiatives, I urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this Resolution Recognizing both the Black 
European Summit and Brussels Declaration and encourage them to review 
the statements and submissions from the Helsinki Commission's Black 
Europe and Racism in the 21st Century Hearings at www.csce.gov and 
recently introduced Resolution on Black Europeans. Additionally, I 
would like to submit the following background materials on the Brussels 
Declaration and Black Europeans for the official record.

  Black European Summit--Transatlantic Dialogue on Political Inclusion


                          Brussels Declaration

     Preamble
       We, as members of the public, private, and voluntary 
     sectors from Europe and the United States of America 
     convening in Brussels, Belgium from the 15 to 16 of April for

[[Page E1634]]

     the Black European Summit: Transatlantic Dialogue on 
     Political Inclusion, draw attention to the need for 
     coordinated strategies to address racism and discrimination;
       We recognize the democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-racial 
     nature of our countries' diverse societies;
       We reaffirm the principles of equal rights and self-
     determination of peoples and recalling that all individuals 
     are born equal in dignity and rights;
       We remain concerned that the political and legal systems in 
     some of our societies do not reflect the racial and ethnic 
     diversity within our societies, which then contributes to the 
     continuation of racism and discrimination;
       We recognize that the full access of racial and ethnic 
     minorities to participate in the political sphere and 
     relevant areas of decision making at the levels of national, 
     regional, and locally elected government appropriate to each 
     nation is critical to combating racism and inequality and 
     ensuring our democratic societies;
       We therefore note the need for concrete strategies to: 
     increase the representation and influence of racial and 
     ethnic minority policymakers; jointly seek solutions to 
     racial and ethnic minorities increased participation in 
     decision-making in the development and implementation of 
     policy initiatives to address discrimination and inequality; 
     and support opportunities to exchange and share perspectives 
     in these areas through the continuance of a transatlantic 
     dialogue to realize these goals.
       We today resolve that we will endeavor to enact initiatives 
     to eradicate racial and ethnic discrimination through:
       Continuing a transatlantic dialogue that: includes cultural 
     exchanges between American and European racial and ethnic 
     minority groups, including youth; focuses on the development 
     of opportunities for racial and ethnic minority political 
     leadership and participation in the policymaking process; and 
     fosters the exchange of information on best practices to 
     implement and enforce antidiscrimination measures and achieve 
     racial equality;
       Joining forces over the coming months to develop common 
     goals and objectives in each of our decision-making bodies to 
     recognize Europe's Black and racial and ethnic minority 
     populations for their historical and present-day 
     contributions and acknowledge past injustices;
       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;
       Reaffirming our continued cooperation and commitment to 
     work with our governments, international institutions, civil 
     society, private sector, and other partners to improve 
     institutions so that they are fully participatory and reflect 
     the democratic principles of equality, justice, and 
     celebration of the strengths of our countries' diversity.

        As Europe Veers Right, Minority Parliamentarians Counter

       Washington--With far-right and anti-immigrant parties 
     making worrying advances in recent elections across Europe, 
     minority lawmakers and leaders called today for the political 
     process to be more inclusive of minorities.
       Following April's ``Black European Summit: Transatlantic 
     Dialogue on Political Inclusion'' in Brussels, Belgium, 
     minority political and intellectual leaders today adopted a 
     declaration calling for increased efforts to include racial 
     and ethnic minorities in the political process. (Please find 
     attached a copy of the Brussels Declaration).
       I was very pleased to have the opportunity to work on these 
     initiatives with my European colleagues,'' said U.S. 
     Congressman and Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Alcee L. 
     Hastings (D-FL). ``Whether speaking about voting and civil 
     rights, increasing minority elected officials and diversity 
     in policy staff, or responding to discriminatory policies, we 
     have common issues. While I have been able to share the many 
     successes we have had in the United States in terms of 
     minority political participation, most recently evidenced by 
     President Obama, one need only look at the lack of diversity 
     in the U.S. Senate and staff in Congressional offices and 
     many government agencies to know that we can be doing more. 
     It is one reason I fully support this transatlantic 
     declaration.''
       ``Despite the global significance of President Obama's 
     historic election, the reality is that our elected leadership 
     does not reflect the diversity of origins of people in our 
     nations'' said Summit co-organizer Harlem Desir, Member of 
     the European Parliament (MEP). ``This has contributed to a 
     lack of inclusion of minorities in the planning and 
     implementation of the very policies that impact us. Despite 
     some successes, the overall results of recent elections are 
     simply further evidence that we must do more to ensure the 
     representation of the diversity of our society.''
       ``In Britain we had never elected fascists in a national 
     election until now. Whilst in the past there have been far-
     right MEPs from other countries, such as France, this 
     election saw new groups gaining seats across Europe, and thus 
     a worrying threshold has been crossed,'' said Summit co-
     organizer and President of the European Parliament All Party 
     Group on Anti-Racism and Diversity, Claude Moraes MEP. ``We 
     will have to tackle the pernicious growth of far-right racist 
     parties head-on, at both the grass-roots and parliamentary 
     levels, and an integral part of this lies in encouraging the 
     full inclusion of minorities in the political process.''
       U.S. Helsinki Commissioner Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-
     NC), a former Judge known for his work supporting voting 
     rights, who participated in the Summit, added, ``it is clear 
     by the outcome of the European elections that too few people 
     are taking part in the political process at a potentially 
     great risk to democracy. As I have learned from my work in 
     the U.S., it is critical to remedy this situation rather than 
     preserve a status quo that repeatedly elects lawmakers who do 
     not represent the diverse interests of the population.''
       ``These concerns for minority representation are exactly 
     why we adopted the Brussels Declaration,'' said Summit co-
     organizer Joe Frans, Vice President of the United Nations 
     Working Group on Experts of People of African Descent. ``The 
     declaration calls for the full and equal participation of 
     non-White citizens of Europe with African, migrant, and other 
     backgrounds in our countries' democracies. With more racist, 
     xenophobic, and anti-Muslim parties making political gains, 
     immigration and anti-discrimination policies are going to be 
     further scrutinized, which will impact how persons of 
     different races, ethnicities, and religions, are viewed and 
     treated. Implementation of the Brussels declaration in this 
     current climate is of the utmost importance.''

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