[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5522-5523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             AFRO-COLOMBIANS AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CBC

  Mr. OBAMA. Today I wish to commend Congressman Bobby Rush and other 
members of the Congressional Black Caucus for their work on behalf of 
Afro-Colombians. The consistent advocacy of the CBC on this human 
rights issue has been critical to increasing consciousness and activism 
in

[[Page 5523]]

the U.S. and Colombia. Significant progress has made through this 
alliance, and I look forward to working with the CBC and other 
community groups on this issue.
  Throughout Latin America, Afro-Latino communities remain 
marginalized--socially, economically and politically. In the case of 
Colombia, the violence and disruption of the country's 40-year civil 
conflict have disproportionately affected Afro-Colombians. Many are now 
refugees in their own country after being forced to leave their homes, 
and they face widespread racial discrimination as they try to rebuild 
their lives. Although Colombia's 1991 Constitution granted Afro-
Colombians territorial rights to the land they historically held, these 
rights are now being increasingly violated, as this land is taken from 
them. With little or no economic and educational opportunities 
available, many Afro-Colombian youths have turned to coca cultivation 
or joined guerrilla forces.
  With the rise of Afro-Colombian advocacy groups and NGOs in Colombia, 
I believe it is possible to foster meaningful partnerships and 
alliances for positive change in this region. In addition to the CBC, 
there are many members of the religious community--in my home State of 
Illinois and across our country--who are working on behalf of Afro-
Colombians. I commend them on their dedication to this important cause. 
Together we can and will make a difference.

                          ____________________