HomeOffice of the Special Representative for Racial Equity and JusticeRemarks & Releases...Remarks by Special Representative Cormier Smith at the Opening Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

# 									Remarks by Special Representative Cormier Smith at the Opening Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent							

Remarks

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

Geneva, Switzerland

April 16, 2024

Thank you, madam Chair. What an honor and privilege to be able to address this distinguished gathering.

The world stands at an inflection point in the fight for democracy and social justice. Around the world, we’re seeing basic freedofms being eroded, democratic backsliding suppressing the will of the people, and corruption making people feel hopeless. The ubiquity of systemic racism adds another layer of struggle, which means that we, people of African descent, are differently and disproportionately affected by these global negative trends. What we do in this moment will have drastic implications for the universal values that will determine the type of global system under which future generations will live. The stakes are high, and the price of not meeting this moment with resolute moral clarity is not one humanity can afford.ƒ

Addressing racism, discrimination, and xenophobia is like reversing a fast-moving train—it requires immense collective effort to stop it and then push it in the opposite direction. The forces of history and systemic racism are relentless and strong. People of African descent have learned the hard way that we can’t right the wrongs of history overnight, nor can we stop and reverse the train of hate and bigotry instantaneously.

The United States – and indeed the world – has made strides in addressing anti-Black racism and promoting racial equity, but to say that we still have a long journey seems such an obvious understatement. My nation’s history, like that of many other countries, is marked by moments of profound racial injustice, with reverberations still felt today. We must confront this legacy with courage and determination, and in cooperation with people of African descent everywhere. The fact that I stand here representing a government that codified into its founding constitution the dehumanization of my ancestors, who were considered property worth only three-fifths of a human being, is a sign of great progress; it is also a deep scar that many in my country want to erase or deny.

Though my country has never fully lived up to the values of freedom and equality for all, we’ve also never walked away from them – and that is largely thanks to civil society, particularly Black Americans.

Since they arrived on American soil, captured and stolen from their homelands, Black Americans have been working tirelessly to turn the tide of history they inherited — not just for our own survival but also for the good of everyone in our country and around the world. But that is not unique to Black civil society in the United States – that is true for Black civil society and freedom fighters everywhere.

Indeed, it was due in no small part to the diligent efforts of Black activists, organizers, and advocates from every corner of the globe that we finally have this Permanent Forum. The credibility, sustainability, and success of this Forum therefore is dependent upon robust and meaningful civil society participation. It will only be the moral clarity and relentless truth telling of Black civil society that fuels and pushes Member States closer to realizing our collective values, ideals, virtues, and freedoms so that the goals of the first Decade – recognition, justice, and development – are a reality for people of African descent everywhere.

Across the world, members of communities of African descent face similar systemic barriers to social, political, and economic equality. Confronting and dismantling them is a global fight led by civil society.

This fight is not just a moral imperative—it is a matter of global security. Systemic racism undermines the very foundations of democracy and threatens the safety and well-being of all people.

As Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” As People of African Descent, we weren’t given a choice as to whether we wanted our lives to be dedicated to a freedom struggle, but here we are – building upon the hard fought gains of our ancestors, who never relented in their fight for dignity, rights, and justice. So to those of you here holding up the long and proud legacy of Black civil society, I say: please keep speaking truth to power, holding governments and other systems and institutions of power accountable, and I thank you for the work you do. People of African descent everywhere must continue working together to turn this train around but we must ensure civil society is in the driver’s seat. Our lives depend on it.

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