IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 47
Acknowledging African descendants of the transatlantic slave trade in all 
of the Americas with an emphasis on those descendants in Latin America 
and the Caribbean, recognizing the injustices suffered by these African 
descendants, and recommending that the United States and the inter-
national community work to improve the situation of Afro-descendant 
communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2003
Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. JEFFERSON, Ms. 
LEE, and Mr. MEEKS of New York) submitted the following concurrent 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Rela-
tions 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Acknowledging African descendants of the transatlantic slave 
trade in all of the Americas with an emphasis on those 
descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean, recog-
nizing the injustices suffered by these African descend-
ants, 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 during Black History Month it is important that we 
not forget that African-Americans are not the only sur-
vivors of the transatlantic slave trade;
•HCON 47 IH 
Whereas like the United States, many European nations ben-
efited greatly from the colonization of Latin America and 
the Caribbean and their participation in the slave trade; 
Whereas the story of African descendants in all of the Amer-
icas 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 out-
side of Africa; 
Whereas Afro-descendants are present in most all Latin 
American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, 
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pan-
ama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela; 
Whereas the size of Afro-descendant populations vary 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 Car-
ibbean nations, such as Cuba and the Dominican Repub-
lic; 
Whereas Afro-descendant populations have made significant 
economic, social, and cultural contributions to their coun-
tries and the western hemisphere from their unfortunate 
involvement in the transatlantic slave trade to their re-
cent contributions to trade, tourism, and other industries; 
Whereas although persons of African descent have made sig-
nificant achievements in education, employment, eco-
nomic, political, and social spheres in some countries, the 
vast majority are marginalized—living in impoverished
•HCON 47 IH 
communities where they are excluded from centers of 
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 lead 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 inequal-
ities: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) recognizes and honors African descendants 
in the Americas for their contributions to the eco-
nomic, social, and cultural fabric of the countries in 
the Americas, particularly in Latin American and 
Caribbean societies; 
(2) recognizes that as a result of their skin 
color and ancestry, African descendants in the 
Americas have wrongfully experienced economic, so-
cial, and political injustices;
•HCON 47 IH 
(3) urges the President to take appropriate 
measures to encourage the celebration and remem-
brance of the achievements of African descendants 
in the Americas and a resolution of injustices suf-
fered by African descendants in the Americas; 
(4) the United States and the international 
community should work to ensure that extreme pov-
erty is eradicated, universal education is achieved, 
quality healthcare is made available, sustainable en-
vironmental resources, including land where applica-
ble, is provided, and equal access to justice and rep-
resentation under the law is granted in Afro-de-
scendant communities in Latin America and the 
Caribbean; and 
(5) the United States and the international 
community should achieve these goals in Latin 
America and the Caribbean by—
(A) promoting research that focuses on 
identifying and eradicating racial disparities in 
economic, political, and social spheres; 
(B) promoting, funding, and creating de-
velopment programs that focus on Afro-de-
scendant communities; 
(C) providing technical support and train-
ing to Afro-descendant advocacy groups that
•HCON 47 IH 
work to uphold basic human rights in the re-
gion; 
(D) promoting the creation of an inter-
national working group that focuses on prob-
lems of communities of Afro-descendants in the 
Americas; and 
(E) promoting trade and other bilateral 
and multilateral agreements that take into ac-
count the needs of Afro-descendant commu-
nities.
Æ