Human Rights at Home: Using the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Room C205)
In this workshop, we will discuss the relationship between international human rights standards, domestic racial justice fights and what it would mean to merge the two. The workshop will include a special look at the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as a tool for holding the U.S. government accountable for its treatment of communities of color.
Ramona Ortega
Ajamu Baraka, U.S. Human Rights Network
Notes:
Role of popular mobilization and participation, missing link in human rights narrative
For African Americans, international perspective has always been a part of the human rights movement
Petition Movement-
-wanted an international human rights bill
-a declaration was made but now enforcement of law, no real human rights movement until the 1960s
-in 1950s, America's containment strategy, talk about human rights seen as communist, start talk about civil rights
There's a gap between U.S. human rights practices and institutional norms and protections
Romona:
Pre 9/11
-world conference against racism, in Durban, SA
-First review of U.S. under CERD
-Global eye on accountability turned to U.S.
-Then 9/11. Human rights work goes under-funded
Some things remain the same
-Blacks and Hispanics disproportionately hit by HIV/AIDS
-Poverty unchanged among these groups
Once people have rights, the system has a responsibility to address them
-actions have to start at local level
CERD Treaty
-affirmative obligations of the state
-calls for data collection, needs to disaggregate by race, gender
-elevate local issues to global attention
www.nychri.org
CERD Reporting
-submit report to committee members, push advocacy efforts
-real life assessment of what's on the ground
-uses data, from Census, etc.
-short, concise data-filled, testimony-filled reports
What can you do?
-coordinate regional or issue-based report
-work w/ state and municipal legislators on using CERD
-participate in a working group, or establish one
-provide data; reports, stats, testimony, anecdotes, interviews
Resources:
