III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 90 

Acknowledging African descendants of the transatlantic slave trade in all 

of the Americas with an emphasis on descendants in Latin America 

and the Caribbean, recognizing the injustices suffered by these African 

descendants, and recommending that the United States and the international community work to improve the situation of Afro-descendant 

communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 1, 2006 

Mr. DODD submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Acknowledging African descendants of the transatlantic slave 

trade in all of the Americas with an emphasis on descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean, recognizing the injustices suffered by these African descendants, and recommending that the United States and the 

international community work to improve the situation 

of Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and 

the Caribbean. 

Whereas we must remember that African-Americans are not 

the only survivors of the transatlantic slave trade; 

Whereas like the United States, many European nations benefitted greatly from the colonization of Latin America 


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•SCON 90 IS

and the Caribbean and their participation in the slave 

trade; 

Whereas the story of African descendants in all of the Americas remains untold, leading them to be forgotten, made 

invisible, and allowed to suffer unjustly; 

Whereas it is important to acknowledge that as a result of 

the slave trade and immigration, approximately 

80,000,000 to 150,000,000 persons of African descent 

live in Latin America and the Caribbean, making them 

the largest population of persons of African descent outside of Africa; 

Whereas Afro-descendants are present in most Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, 

Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela; 

Whereas the size of Afro-descendant populations varies in 

range from less than 1 percent in some countries to as 

much as 30 percent in Colombia and 46 percent in Brazil 

and make up the majority in some Spanish speaking Caribbean nations, such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic; 

Whereas Afro-descendant populations have made significant 

economic, social, and cultural contributions to their countries and the Western Hemisphere from their unfortunate 

involvement in the transatlantic slave trade to their recent contributions to trade, tourism, and other industries; 

Whereas although persons of African descent have made significant achievements in education, employment, economic, political, and social spheres in some countries, the 

vast majority are marginalized—living in impoverished 

communities where they are excluded from centers of 


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education, government, and basic human rights based 

upon the color of their skin and ancestry; 

Whereas Afro-descendants have shorter life expectancies, 

higher rates of infant mortality, higher incidences of 

HIV/AIDS, higher rates of illiteracy, and lower incomes 

than do other populations; 

Whereas Afro-descendants encounter problems of access to 

healthcare, basic education, potable water, housing, land 

titles, credit, equal justice and representation under the 

law, political representation, and other economic, political, health, and basic human rights; and 

Whereas skin color and ancestry have led African-Americans 

in the United States and African descendants in Latin 

America and the Caribbean to share similar injustices, 

leading to economic, social, health, and political inequalities: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes and honors African descendants 

4 in the Americas for their contributions to the eco5 nomic, social, and cultural fabric of the countries in 

6 the Americas, particularly in Latin American and 

7 Caribbean societies; 

8 (2) recognizes that as a result of their skin 

9 color and ancestry, African descendants in the 

10 Americas have wrongfully experienced economic, so11 cial, and political injustices; 


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1 (3) urges the President to take appropriate 

2 measures to encourage the celebration and remem3 brance of the achievements of African descendants 

4 in the Americas and to resolve injustices suffered by 

5 African descendants in the Americas; 

6 (4) encourages the United States and the inter7 national community to work to ensure that extreme 

8 poverty is eradicated, universal education is 

9 achieved, quality healthcare is made available, sus10 tainable environmental resources, including land 

11 where applicable, is provided, and equal access to 

12 justice and representation under the law is granted 

13 in Afro-descendant communities in Latin America 

14 and the Caribbean; and 

15 (5) encourages the United States and the inter16 national community to achieve these goals in Latin 

17 America and the Caribbean by— 

18 (A) promoting research that focuses on 

19 identifying and eradicating racial disparities in 

20 economic, political, and social spheres; 

21 (B) promoting, funding, and creating de22 velopment programs that focus on Afro-de23 scendant communities; 

24 (C) providing technical support and train25 ing to Afro-descendant advocacy groups that 


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1 work to uphold basic human rights in the re2 gion; 

3 (D) promoting the creation of an inter4 national working group that focuses on prob5 lems of communities of Afro-descendants in the 

6 Americas; and 

7 (E) promoting trade and other bilateral 

8 and multilateral agreements that take into ac9 count the needs of Afro-descendant commu10 nities. 

Æ 


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