HomeOffice of the Special Representative for Racial Equity and JusticeRemarks & Releases...Remarks for Special Representative Cormier Smith’s Participation in the Secretary’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Award Ceremony

# 									Remarks for Special Representative Cormier Smith’s Participation in the Secretary’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Award Ceremony							

Remarks

Desirée Cormier Smith, Special Representative for Racial Equity and JusticeBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

August 9, 2023

Good morning,

Secretary Blinken; Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Richard Verma; OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities**;** UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences **Gabriela Ramos**; Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, the first Black woman to obtain the rank of Career Ambassador on who’s mighty shoulders I proudly stand; Assistant Secretaries, my fellow Special Representatives, Special Envoys, and Special Advisors, Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, colleagues, and friends;

Welcome and thank you all for joining us today for this historic and important occasion. I am Desiree Cormier Smith, the U.S. State Department’s first ever Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice. I am overjoyed to be here with you today for the Secretary’s inaugural Award for Global Anti-Racism Champions.

I want to acknowledge that we are gathered here on the ancestral lands of the Anacostan and Piscataway peoples. We honor their contributions and resiliency every day, but especially today, the UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – a day created to raise awareness of the rich diversity and generations of knowledge of Indigenous peoples as well as the need to protect their rights.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge today is also the anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black teenager whose death in Ferguson, Missouri sparked a national outcry. His killing, two years after that of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was a pivotal moment in our country, prompting the need to affirm that Black Lives Matter, a slogan that has gained global resonance not only for people of African descent but also for other marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities around the world. As activist Valerie Shaw put it, “You can be a Uyghur in China, or an Aboriginal in Australia, or a Christian in Iran and you say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and you’re talking about your own.”

When Secretary Blinken created the position of Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice last year, he said, “Inequity is a national security challenge with global consequences. The systematic exclusion of individuals from marginalized and vulnerable groups from full participation in economic, social, and civic life impedes equity globally, while fueling corruption, economic migration, distrust, and authoritarianism.” This office was born out of the need for global solutions to the global problem of racism that has plagued our world for centuries, in line with the direction from President Biden that the entire U.S. government must be working to advance racial equity and to support underserved communities.

My mandate is two-fold: first, to ensure U.S. foreign policy, programs, and processes promote and advance the human rights of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities; and to build global partnerships to combat structural racism, discrimination, and xenophobia globally. To be clear, my position was created NOT because we have already solved these problems here in the United States but because we recognize that we are not the only country grappling with these challenges. These are global scourges that know no borders and require coordinated and sustained global solutions.

In the year and two months since my appointment, I have traveled to almost every region in the world – NOT to lecture or admonish foreign governments about the realities of systemic racism in their countries, but rather to engage with and listen to members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities. To hear directly from them about their challenges, the barriers they face to equality, and how U.S. foreign policy and programs can better support their efforts for equality, dignity, and recognition. This is critical to the success of this work for two reasons: first, it is an acknowledgement that these communities know better than any diplomat the challenges they face and what they need to overcome them. They have agency and they have a voice. They simply have been excluded from the rooms where decisions are made that impact them. My goal is to end that. Second, listening to and centering the voices of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities will ensure that we do **not** apply an American lens to this global challenge. We cannot and do not apply a one size fits all approach to this complex and complicated work because that will fail. While we know that racism is a global challenge, we also must understand and appreciate the unique ways it manifests in every country due to historical and cultural contexts. This is why it is so important to listen to communities of African descent, Indigenous communities, Roma communities, Dalit communities, and other communities who are marginalized, stigmatized, and discriminated against simply because of their race or ethnicity. That is the only way this work will be impactful and sustainable.

While racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, and xenophobia are **not** new phenomena, this is frontier work for the State Department and our diplomats. It is not easy nor will it be quick. However, I am optimistic. Why? Well first, you cannot be a pessimist in this line of work. As Black feminist writer bell hooks said, “Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair.” And second, because of the unwavering commitment, hope, and resilience of these communities – even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles to their basic dignity and rights and often at great personal risk. If they can continue to fight, then surely we can.

And that is why we created this award – to acknowledge, honor, and support the tireless advocates who fight against the structural racism, the pervasive discrimination, the rampant xenophobia that impedes the members of their communities from enjoying their basic human rights. We thought it important to recognize the leaders who may not be known internationally or even nationally within their own countries, but they are known to their communities. They are known as the ones who refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. They are known as the ones with the courage to stand up and fight to promote the rights and dignity of their communities when they are systematically denied and violated. They are known as the ones who give these communities voice and hope.

That is the spirit in which this award was created. So, we asked our embassies and consulates around the world: who are the local anti-racism champions in your countries? Who are the leaders who refuse to accept that they are somehow less than deserving of equal dignity and human rights simply because of their race or ethnicity? And wow, did we get an overwhelming response! We received dozens of nominations from almost every region of the world highlighting incredible civil society leaders who have demonstrated remarkable courage in pushing back against the marginalization, stigmatization, and systematic violation of the human rights of their communities on the basis of their race or ethnicity. But these six leaders – Victorina, Saadia, Sarswati, Rani Yan Yan, Oswaldo, Kari – stood out.

Your advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples, people of African descent, Roma people, and members of the Dalit caste and your demonstrated success in attaining justice for your communities in the pursuit of dignity and human rights are true models of courage. You honor us with your presence here today, you inspire us with your perseverance and dedication, and you push us to do more to build upon your anti-racism work. The work you do to promote equality, defend human rights, and break down racial barriers and stigmas make your countries more peaceful, more prosperous, and more democratic – and that is good for ALL of us. Because as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We are indebted to you for your courage, and we look forward to working with you to achieve these goals of equality, recognition, and dignity.

Now, it is my distinct honor to welcome Secretary Antony Blinken to the podium.

Thank you, Secretary Blinken. We will now spotlight each of the awardees and present them with their awards. Please save your applause until the end.

The first awardee is **Oswaldo Lobatón,** for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of Afro-Peruvians, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia nationally and internationally while promoting economic development, education, and recognition for Afro-Peruvians and the meaningful inclusion of Afro-Peruvian communities in national policies.

Next, we have **Kari****Guajajara**, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of Indigenous peoples in Brazil, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and gender-based violence while serving as a legal advocate for Indigenous organizations.

**Victorina Luca**, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of the Roma in Moldova, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia while advocating for the inclusion of marginalized people in multilateral fora globally, including at the Council of Europe, World Bank, and the United Nations.

**Saadia Mosbah, f**or demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of Black Tunisians, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia while advocating for robust legal and policy frameworks for the rights, dignity, and safety of Black Tunisians.

**Sarswati Nepali**, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of members of marginalized castes and ethnic communities in Nepal, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and other intersectional abuses while playing a crucial role in Dalit social justice movements to promote equitable access to land rights, education, and justice.

And, last but certainly not least, **Rani Yan Yan**, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of Indigenous peoples in Bangladesh, and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, land grabbing, violence, and the adverse effects of climate change while advocating for meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples in the planning, reform, and implementation of legislation and development programs.

Please join me in giving our awardees a well-deserved round of applause.

Now, it is my distinct honor and pleasure to invite **Rani Yan Yan** to the podium to offer brief remarks on behalf of the 2023 Global Anti-Racism Champions.

I want to thank our six awardees for the work they’ve done and the work they continue to do to combat racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. I also want to thank them for making the long journey to Washington to allow us to honor them today. I hope the very long journey here was worth it and I hope that today’s ceremony as well as your meetings this week with U.S. government officials and civil society organizations are productive, enriching, and helpful in your continued anti-racism efforts.

I want to thank you, Mister Secretary, for your presence here today, and more importantly for your vision and leadership for creating this award and for creating the position of the Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice, the role I have the privilege to now occupy. This will be a part of your legacy and you have no idea just how much that means to so many people in this room today and countless others around the world who are the victims of racism and xenophobia. Thank you.

I must also thank my small but mighty SRREJ team. My fellow joyful racial justice warriors, thank you. Without you, none of this would be possible. And to the volunteers and staff who helped us pull off today, thank you.

And finally, I thank all of you who joined us today – especially our partners from across the U.S. government and our embassies around the world, Congress, academia, the private sector, and civil society. Your presence here today is a reminder that if we are to truly build an anti-racist world – where the race or ethnicity you happen to be born does not determine your life expectancy or outcomes – it will take all of us working from our respective perches to work together to collectively bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice. I want to give a special and heartfelt thanks to one civil society partner in particular, the Foreign Policy for America Foundation, for their partnership in helping secure key meetings with U.S. civil society organizations and local government officials for our awardees this week. In addition to fostering invaluable connections for our Global Anti-Racism Champions with Americans doing similar anti-racism work, I am so pleased to announce that the Foundation will also honor each of our awardees with a $5,000 grant to support and empower them to continue their critical work. We know that these leaders do this work at great cost and risk to themselves and their families so Thank you, FP4A Foundation, for acknowledging and honoring our anti-racism champions in such an important and tangible way.

As we close today’s first ever award ceremony for Global Anti-Racism Champions with such wonderful news, I hope you all leave here inspired and with a deepened commitment to creating an anti-racist world. I encourage each and every one of you to find ways to support and build upon the work our Global Anti-Racism Champions are doing and to use their stories as a call to action. The work they do to promote dignity, safety, and human rights is not only good for their own communities, it is good for all of us. Why? Well, to invoke the great Fannie Lou Hammer, “The truth is: Nobody’s free until **everybody’s** free.”

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

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Office of the Special Representative for Racial Equity and JusticeRacial Equity and Justice

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