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 rac-
ism and discrimination faced by those communities, and 
leading to numerous public and private sector initiatives 
between the United States and Latin American and Car-
ibbean countries to improve the situation of African de-
scendants; 
Whereas the persistence of racism and discrimination in Eu-
rope similarly necessitates congressional action to raise 
awareness and promote public and private sector initia-
tives 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 popu-
lations 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 Euro-
peans 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 forgot-
ten; 
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, Brit-
ish abolitionist Oladuah Equiano, and Russian General 
and Governor Abram Hannibal, great-grandfather of 
Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin; 
Whereas the largest estimated populations of Black Euro-
peans 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 size-
able 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 geo-
graphical proximity of Europe to Africa and the Middle 
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East, including the transatlantic slave trade, the coloniza-
tion of Africa and the Caribbean, African and African- 
American military deployments, the movement of refu-
gees and asylum seekers, and educational and other pro-
fessional 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 prob-
lem in Europe; 
Whereas, on April 29, 2008, before the Commission on Secu-
rity 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, socio- 
economic conditions, gender, age, or level of education’’; 
Whereas, as early as 1997, the European Commission opinion 
poll entitled ‘‘Racism and Xenophobia in Europe’’ re-
ported 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’ experi-
ences 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 in-
cidents of discriminatory treatment, racist crime, and vic-
timization, 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 in-
cluded 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 Euro-
peans 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-im-
migrant 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 of-
ficers in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, 
and the Netherlands routinely use racial profiling, includ-
ing targeting African descendants, when deciding whom 
to target for stops, searches, raids, and surveillance, lead-
ing 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-Euro-
pean 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 in-
equality in Europe, including the introduction of anti-
discrimination and equality laws that include the legal 
support for special measures or positive (affirmative) ac-
tion, 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 na-
tional 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 ‘‘Strength-
ening Efforts to Combat Racism and Xenophobia and 
Foster Inclusion’’ at the 2011 Annual Session recog-
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nizing the International Year for People of African De-
scent and calling for the OSCE to implement several 
strategic initiatives to address racial and ethnic discrimi-
nation in the OSCE region; 
Whereas, in 2011, OSCE/ODIHR held its first ‘‘Roundtable 
on the contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia af-
fecting Peoples of African Descent in the OSCE region’’, 
and in 2012 a hate crimes training for the people of Afri-
can 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 Con-
gress 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 Mi-
nority Political Leadership Conference (TMPLC) legisla-
tors and minority leaders from North America and Eu-
rope held a Parliamentary Forum at the European Par-
liament in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss a ‘‘Joint Action 
Plan on Racial and Ethnic Equality and Inclusion’’ be-
tween 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 Inclu-
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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: Reali-
ties of Afrophobia’’ and in 2014 released, the first pan- 
European policy guide reviewing the current situation en-
titled, ‘‘ENAR Anti-Racism in Focus 2 - InvisibleVisible 
Minority: Confronting Afrophobia and Advancing Equal-
ity 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 Na-
tional Strategies to Combat Afrophobia and Promote In-
clusion of People of African Descent and Black Euro-
peans’’ 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 Euro-
peans, including in employment, housing, education, 
health, political participation, criminal justice and other 
sectors’’; 
Whereas, on July 25, 2017, the Council of Europe Commis-
sioner 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 al-
ready established Black communities [. . .] European 
states must first come to terms with their own past [in-
cluding] 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 rec-
ommended 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 dif-
ferent 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 Spe-
cial Advisor and Race Disparity Advisory Group to imple-
ment 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 Par-
liament 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 part-
nership with the European Parliament Anti-Racism and 
Diversity Intergroup (ARDI), Transatlantic Minority Po-
litical Leadership Conference (TMPLC), Each One Teach 
One (EOTO), and the European Network Against Rac-
ism (ENAR); 
Whereas PAD Week featured over a hundred experts, activ-
ists, 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 hon-
ouring 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 re-
sponses 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 specifi-
cally adopt the following set of initiatives for Black Euro-
peans: 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 Peo-
ple of African Descent in Europe; and support trans-
atlantic exchanges to support common solutions to com-
mon 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 Non- 
Discrimination Unit, EUFRA, the COE Human Rights 
Commissioner and ECRI, and the United Nations Com-
mittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Spe-
cial Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, 
Independent Expert on Minority Issues, and Experts 
Working Group on People of African Descent, have docu-
mented ongoing racism and xenophobia, and racial and 
ethnic discrimination, and called for an increase in initia-
tives to combat racism and inequality and foster inclu-
sion: Now, therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) encourages the recognition and celebration 
of the collective history and achievements made by 
people of African descent; 
(2) reaffirms the importance of inclusion and 
the full and equal participation of people of African 
descent around the world in all aspects of political, 
economic, social, and cultural life; 
(3) recognizes that, as a result of their skin 
color and ancestry, many Black Europeans have 
wrongfully experienced injustices in the public and 
private sector; 
(4) welcomes parliamentary activities, including 
those of the European Parliament (EP), Organiza-
tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and US Congress, 
to engage in efforts to promote racial equality and 
combat racial discrimination through efforts such as 
introducing legislation, speaking out against racism, 
increasing the political participation of diverse popu-
lations through initiatives such as the Transatlantic 
Minority Political Leadership Conference and Trans-
atlantic Inclusion Leaders Network, and working 
with Black European and other diverse communities 
to develop relevant policies; 
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(5) urges European governments and members 
of civil society and the private sector, in consultation 
with Black European communities, to develop and 
implement initiatives to combat racial discrimination 
and promote racial equality and inclusion in Europe, 
by— 
(A) drafting and implementing an EU 
Framework for National Strategies to Promote 
Inclusion of and Combat Discrimination to-
wards People of African Descent and Black Eu-
ropeans; 
(B) 
drafting 
and 
implementing 
anti-
discrimination, special measures, hate crimes, 
migration and integration, inclusion, and other 
laws and policies to address discrimination and 
disparities and promote equality, noting the rec-
ommendations of the United Nations Com-
mittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimina-
tion, the Experts Working Group on People of 
African Descent (WGPAD), the European 
Union Fundamental Rights Agency (EUFRA), 
the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Con-
temporary Forms of Racism and Independent 
Expert on Minority Issues, Council of Europe 
Human Rights Commissioner and European 
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Commission against Racism and Intolerance 
(ECRI), and the OSCE Personal Representa-
tive on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and 
Discrimination and OSCE/ODIHR Tolerance 
and Non-Discrimination Unit; 
(C) promoting and funding research, in-
cluding the collection of national census data on 
Black Europeans and its inclusion in the an-
nual reports of the EUFRA and other official 
reporting at the EU and national levels; 
(D) providing technical support, training, 
and funding to Black European civil society 
and private sector groups and experts working 
to combat racism, discrimination, and inequal-
ity, uphold basic human rights in Europe, and 
to increase economic opportunity and empower-
ment; 
(E) introducing national measures to 
counter stereotypical images of persons of Afri-
can descent, by revising textbooks, increasing 
efforts to include Black Europeans in history 
and heritage institutions, and remembering vic-
tims of colonialism, enslavement, and other 
atrocities; 
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(F) developing or increasing financial sup-
port for funds to assist victims of hate crimes 
with legal assistance and compensation when 
incapacitated due to physical or emotional inju-
ries; 
(G) developing specific initiatives that ad-
dress the special concerns of Black European 
men, women and youth, including increasing 
initiatives related to migrants, refugees, and 
asylum seekers; 
(H) actively promoting racial and ethnic 
representation and participation at all levels of 
national, 
regional, 
and 
local 
government 
through the education of civil and political 
rights, including the legislative process and ad-
vocacy of legislative issues relevant to racial and 
ethnic communities, development of targeted 
professional advancement and hiring strategies, 
increased youth and community outreach, and 
self-organization and other empowerment initia-
tives; and 
(I) recruiting, training, hiring, and retain-
ing Black Europeans for professional positions 
in support of these initiatives; 
(6) urges the Secretary of State to— 
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