IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 925 

Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 6, 2018 

Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Ms. MOORE, and Mr. MEEKS) 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 May 19, 2018, royal wedding of Meghan Markle 

and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, raised awareness 


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of the long history and situation of African descent populations in Europe; 

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 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 

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 


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East, including the transatlantic slave trade, the colonization of Africa and the Caribbean, African and AfricanAmerican 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 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, socioeconomic conditions, gender, age, or level of education’’; 

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 (EUFRA) and both the 2009 and 2018 

European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey 


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(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 27 member states of the European Union, have 

found that persons of African descent experience high incidents of discriminatory treatment, racist 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 has not improved over 

the last 10 years; 

Whereas the 2013 Organization for Security and Cooperation 

in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human 

Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) Annual Hate Crimes report included findings that there were more than 16 deaths and 

violent assaults against people of African origin, and that 

persons of African descent are often targets of racist and 

antimigrant 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 the OSCE’s most recent 2016 hate crimes report 

found more than 1,400 racist and xenophobic incidents, 

including a number targeting Black Europeans; 

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; 

Whereas the Open Society Justice Initiative in an initial 

2009 report, entitled ‘‘Ethnic Profiling in the European 


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Union’’, and subsequent reports has found that police officers in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, 

and the Netherlands routinely use racial profiling, including targeting African descendants, when deciding whom 

to target for stops, searches, raids, and surveillance, leading to some of the first European-wide grassroots and 

legal efforts to end racial profiling in France, Germany, 

and elsewhere in Europe, and over a decade of pan-European anti-racism and empowerment initiatives supported 

by Open Society Foundations; 

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, and 

campaigns to end the use of stereotypes and derogatory 

terms to refer to Blacks 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 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; 

Whereas these efforts also include the OSCE Parliamentary 

Assembly’s (PA) adoption of a Resolution on ‘‘Strengthening Efforts to Combat Racism and Xenophobia and 

Foster Inclusion’’ at the 2011 Annual Session recogVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 Jun 07, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR925.IH HR925

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nizing 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’’, 

and in 2012 a hate crimes training for the people of African descent, and in 2013 an exchange with European 

and United States civil rights leaders of African descent 

and other public and private sector entities combating 

discrimination and inequality; 

Whereas these efforts also include transatlantic meetings of 

Black and other diverse legislators held annually at the 

European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, and at Congress in Washington, D.C., including the April 17–19, 

2009, Black European Summit: Transatlantic Dialogue 

on Political Participation and adoption of the Brussels 

Declaration on political participation; and 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 United States; 

Whereas, in 2012, Members of the Transatlantic Minority 

Political Leadership Conference worked in partnership 

with the German Marshall Fund, Department of State, 

and other stakeholders to found the Transatlantic IncluVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 Jun 07, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR925.IH HR925

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sion Leaders Network to increase diverse representation 

in policymaking; 

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 2014 released, the first panEuropean 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’’; 

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 


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current discrimination against Black people,’’ and recommended European states implement strategies across 

health, education, justice, employment, and other sectors; 

Whereas, in October 2017, the UK 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 

Black persons of African and Caribbean background, and 

has since published the findings online, appointed a Special Advisor and Race Disparity Advisory Group to implement strategies to address the disparities, and announced 

90 million British pounds to address inequalities in youth 

unemployment highlighted by the Disparity Audit; 

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), and the European Network Against Racism (ENAR); 

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 MEP Cecile Kyenge stated, ‘‘In addition to honouring the history and contribution of Europe’s Black 


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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 the following set of initiatives for Black Europeans: recognize past injustices and contributions; adopt 

a European Black History Month and Remembrance Day 

for Victims of Colonialism and Enslavement; 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; adopt a Parliamentary Resolution and EU 

Framework for National Strategies for Inclusion of People of African Descent in Europe; and support transatlantic exchanges to support common solutions to common issues of racial prejudice and discrimination; and 

Whereas in addition to EU institutions affiliated with PAD 

Week, international entities, such as the OSCE Personal 

Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and 

Discrimination and OSCE/ODIHR Tolerance and NonDiscrimination Unit, EUFRA, the COE Human Rights 

Commissioner and ECRI, 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 foster inclusion: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) encourages the recognition and celebration 

3 of the collective history and achievements made by 

4 people of African descent; 

5 (2) reaffirms the importance of inclusion and 

6 the full and equal participation of people of African 

7 descent around the world in all aspects of political, 

8 economic, social, and cultural life; 

9 (3) recognizes that, as a result of their skin 

10 color and ancestry, many Black Europeans have 

11 wrongfully experienced injustices in the public and 

12 private sector; 

13 (4) welcomes parliamentary activities, including 

14 those of the European Parliament (EP), Organiza15 tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe 

16 (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and US Congress, 

17 to engage in efforts to promote racial equality and 

18 combat racial discrimination through efforts such as 

19 introducing legislation, speaking out against racism, 

20 increasing the political participation of diverse popu21 lations through initiatives such as the Transatlantic 

22 Minority Political Leadership Conference and Trans23 atlantic Inclusion Leaders Network, and working 

24 with Black European and other diverse communities 

25 to develop relevant policies; 


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1 (5) urges European governments and members 

2 of civil society and the private sector, in consultation 

3 with Black European communities, to develop and 

4 implement initiatives to combat racial discrimination 

5 and promote racial equality and inclusion in Europe, 

6 by— 

7 (A) drafting and implementing an EU 

8 Framework for National Strategies to Promote 

9 Inclusion of and Combat Discrimination to10 wards People of African Descent and Black Eu11 ropeans; 

12 (B) drafting and implementing anti13 discrimination, special measures, hate crimes, 

14 migration and integration, inclusion, and other 

15 laws and policies to address discrimination and 

16 disparities and promote equality, noting the rec17 ommendations of the United Nations Com18 mittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimina19 tion, the Experts Working Group on People of 

20 African Descent (WGPAD), the European 

21 Union Fundamental Rights Agency (EUFRA), 

22 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Con23 temporary Forms of Racism and Independent 

24 Expert on Minority Issues, Council of Europe 

25 Human Rights Commissioner and European 


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1 Commission against Racism and Intolerance 

2 (ECRI), and the OSCE Personal Representa3 tive on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and 

4 Discrimination and OSCE/ODIHR Tolerance 

5 and Non-Discrimination Unit; 

6 (C) promoting and funding research, in7 cluding the collection of national census data on 

8 Black Europeans and its inclusion in the an9 nual reports of the EUFRA and other official 

10 reporting at the EU and national levels; 

11 (D) providing technical support, training, 

12 and funding to Black European civil society 

13 and private sector groups and experts working 

14 to combat racism, discrimination, and inequal15 ity, uphold basic human rights in Europe, and 

16 to increase economic opportunity and empower17 ment; 

18 (E) introducing national measures to 

19 counter stereotypical images of persons of Afri20 can descent, by revising textbooks, increasing 

21 efforts to include Black Europeans in history 

22 and heritage institutions, and remembering vic23 tims of colonialism, enslavement, and other 

24 atrocities; 


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1 (F) developing or increasing financial sup2 port for funds to assist victims of hate crimes 

3 with legal assistance and compensation when 

4 incapacitated due to physical or emotional inju5 ries; 

6 (G) developing specific initiatives that ad7 dress the special concerns of Black European 

8 men, women and youth, including increasing 

9 initiatives related to migrants, refugees, and 

10 asylum seekers; 

11 (H) actively promoting racial and ethnic 

12 representation and participation at all levels of 

13 national, regional, and local government 

14 through the education of civil and political 

15 rights, including the legislative process and ad16 vocacy of legislative issues relevant to racial and 

17 ethnic communities, development of targeted 

18 professional advancement and hiring strategies, 

19 increased youth and community outreach, and 

20 self-organization and other empowerment initia21 tives; and 

22 (I) recruiting, training, hiring, and retain23 ing Black Europeans for professional positions 

24 in support of these initiatives; 

25 (6) urges the Secretary of State to— 


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1 (A) provide technical assistance and other 

2 support for European governments and mem3 bers of the civil society and private sector to 

4 fulfill the initiatives outlined above; 

5 (B) increase support for the WGPAD and 

6 International Decade for People of African De7 scent; and 

8 (C) implement recommendations included 

9 in the Global African Descent Affairs Act, H.R. 

10 1570, by establishing a Global Office of African 

11 Descent Affairs within the Department of State 

12 headed by senior officials to develop and imple13 ment global foreign policy and assistance strate14 gies to improve the situation of people of Afri15 can descent around the world, create a Depart16 ment of State ‘‘Fund’’ to support antidiscrimi17 nation and empowerment efforts by African de18 scent led civil society organizations around the 

19 world, include a section on discrimination faced 

20 by people of African descent in Annual State 

21 Department Human Rights Country Reports; 

22 and 

23 (7) supports the adoption of a ‘‘Joint Action 

24 Plan on Racial and Ethnic Equality and Inclusion’’ 

25 between the European Union and United States 


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1 modeled after similar United States agreements with 

2 Colombia and Brazil, and supports implementation 

3 of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Resolution on 

4 Strengthening Efforts to Combat Racism and Xeno5 phobia and Foster Inclusion to assist in fulfilling the 

6 initiatives above. 

Æ 


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