Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 132 Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 18, 2021 Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. COHEN, Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. RUSH) 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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 132 IH Whereas the terms ‘‘Afro-European’’, ‘‘African European’’, or ‘‘Black European’’ refer to people of African ancestry or descent born in, citizens of, or residing 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 Black Europeans 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 Wil- liam Amo, French Composer Le Chevalier de St. George, British abolitionist Oladuah Equiano, and Russian Gen- eral 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), Ger- many (approximately 1,000,000), and the Netherlands (approximately 500,000), in addition to sizeable popu- lations in Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Rus- sia, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria; Whereas the presence of Black Europeans can be traced throughout ancient history to the present from both vol- untary and forced migration resulting from the geo- graphical proximity of Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the transatlantic slave trade, the colonization of Af- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 132 IH rica and the Caribbean, African and African-American military deployments, to the movement of refugees and asylum seekers, and educational and other professional exchanges; Whereas although Black Europeans have made significant achievements in and contributions to European society, large numbers have experienced and continue to be more likely than the general population to experience discrimi- nation and to be underrepresented in leadership roles in the public and private sector; 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’’, author Gary Younge stated, ‘‘We are here because you were there [. . .]’’, and Swedish Parliamentarian Joe Frans called for ‘‘a transatlantic dialogue on the experi- ences of [people of African descent]’’; 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’.’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 132 IH Whereas annual reports of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and both the 2009 and 2018 Euro- pean Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU– MIDIS I and II), the first European Union-wide surveys of ethnic minority and immigrant groups’ experiences of discrimination and victimization in everyday life in the then 28 member states of the European Union, found that persons of African descent experience high incidents of discriminatory treatment, racially motivated crime, and victimization, 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 had not drastically improved in the years between the two reports; Whereas, in November 2018, the FRA launched ‘‘Being Black in the EU: Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey’’, and called for member states to develop specific solutions and guidance to address find- ings that 30 percent of respondents had been racially harassed, 5 percent physically attacked, 25 percent dis- criminated against at work or when looking for work, up to 76 percent faced unemployment in some countries, and were experiencing high rates of discrimination in housing and in the justice system, including profiling by law en- forcement; Whereas the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (OSCE/ODIHR) most recent 2019 hate crimes report found more than 3,000 racist and xenophobic inci- dents, including a number targeting Black Europeans, while OSCE reports in previous years found a number of deaths and violent assaults against ‘‘people of African or- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 132 IH igin’’, and that they are often targets of racist and antimigrant violence, especially in Eastern Europe, yet in many countries hate crimes are underreported and legal assistance and financial support for victims while recov- ering from violent attacks does not exist; Whereas prejudice and discrimination toward 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 White su- premacists, neo-Nazis, and skinheads; Whereas, over a decade ago, numerous civil society reports, including the 2009 report entitled, ‘‘Ethnic Profiling in the European Union’’, and subsequent reports found that police officers in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ger- many, the Netherlands, and Russia routinely use racial profiling, including targeting African descendants when deciding whom to target for stops, searches, raids, and surveillance, leading at that time to some of the largest Europeanwide grassroots and legal efforts to end racial profiling in France, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, and over a decade of pan-European antiracism and em- powerment initiatives continuing until this day and re- cently highlighted by global racial justice movements in response to the tragic death of George Floyd in the United States; 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 legal sup- port for special measures or positive (affirmative) action, creation of equality bodies, media campaigns, and efforts VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 132 IH to increase minority political participation, and cam- paigns to end the use of stereotypes and derogatory terms to refer to people of African descent 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 as 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, and the November 12 and 13, 2009, United Nations (UN) Second Session of the Forum on Minority Issues focused on Minorities and Effective Political Participation convened by United Na- tions Independent Expert on Minority Issues, Gay McDougall; Whereas these efforts also include the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s (PA) annual reports of the Special Represent- ative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance, and the adoption of Resolutions: ‘‘A Call for OSCE Action to Ad- dress Violence and Discrimination’’ in 2016, ‘‘Addressing Racism and Xenophobia Affecting People of African De- scent in the OSCE Region’’ in 2012, and ‘‘Strengthening Efforts to Combat Racism and Xenophobia and Foster Inclusion’’ in 2011 that included recognition of the Inter- national Year for People of African Descent, and calling for the OSCE to implement several strategic initiatives to address racial and ethnic discrimination in the OSCE re- gion; Whereas, in 2011, OSCE/ODIHR held its first ‘‘Roundtable on the contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia af- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 132 IH fecting Peoples of African Descent in the OSCE region’’, organized by Racism and Xenophobia Advisor Larry Olomoofe, and has since annually hosted antidiscrimina- tion initiatives that include a focus on people of African descent on hate crimes, women, political participation, strengthening civil society, and other issues; Whereas these efforts also include transatlantic meetings of Black European and other diverse legislators held annu- ally at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, and in the United States Congress in Washington, DC, including the April 17–19, 2009, ‘‘Black European Sum- mit: Transatlantic Dialogue on Political Participation’’ and adoption of the Brussels Declaration on political par- ticipation; and subsequent ‘‘Transatlantic Minority Polit- ical 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 the United States; Whereas, in 2011, Members of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference worked in partnership with the German Marshall Fund, the Department of State, and other stakeholders to found the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network (TILN) to increase diverse representation in policymaking; Whereas at the U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing Public Di- plomacy, Democracy, and Global Leadership, Lora Berg stated, ‘‘When our actual diversity is reflected in leader- ship, we gain extraordinary richness and capacity, new VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HRES 132 IH avenues for innovation, global connections and growth. To achieve this, we must bring our leadership opportuni- ties to new populations and develop the social capital to make this possible. The future of transatlantic relations depends on [the] entrepreneurial approach [of TILN].’’; 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 2015 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’’ under the guidance of ENAR Chair Chibo Onyeji and Vice Chair Momodou Jallow; Whereas, in January 2014, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted Resolution 1967 (2014) on ‘‘A strategy to prevent racism and intolerance in Europe’’ and implemented the recommendations; Whereas, in January 2015, PACE established the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance, a network of parliamentarians committed to countering racism, intolerance, and hate speech, and the mandate of General Rapporteur on Com- bating Racism and Intolerance, acting as coordinator of the Alliance; 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:37 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR132.IH HR132 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HRES 132 IH 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 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]