By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Agitation for reparations for slavery has gone on for years, and the United Nations has now picked up the racism part of it, urging global action to “make amends” for racism against people of African descent taken to the Americas in the 17th century.
Some action is already being taken in the United States to redress historical injustices and imbalances that still weigh down Blacks.
Two weeks ago, Virginia Theological Seminary in the US issued the first $2,100 yearly cheques to descendants of Black folks who worked on the campus during slavery, Reconstruction, and segregation.
The reparations programme, funded with a $1.7 million endowment established by the Episcopal seminary in September 2019, is one of the first of its kind.
And Evanston, a suburb of Chicago will become the first city in the US to pay reparations to Black residents who have suffered housing discrimination.
The city council voted in March to distribute $25,000 (£18,000) each to 16 eligible Black households to use for home repairs or as down payments on property.
A new report by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also urges educational reform and apologies to address discrimination.
Per the BBC, the findings cite concerns in about 60 countries including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Canada, Brazil and Colombia.
The study began after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in US police custody in May 2020.
The findings say protests over the Minnesota man’s death and the conviction of a White policeman were a “seminal point in the fight against racism”.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, issued a statement which called “on all states to stop denying – and start dismantling – racism” and to “listen to the voices of people of African descent”.
Tackling systemic racism
The UN’s report is based on discussions with more than 300 experts and people of African descent and seeks to push nations to take actions to end racial injustices.
It found that police use of racial profiling and excessive force was systemic in much of North America, Europe and Latin America.
The report said racism was the biggest problem in countries associated with the former trade of many millions of Africans for slavery.
The findings conclude that in order to achieve racial justice countries should “make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination … including through formal acknowledgment and apologies, truth-telling processes, and reparations in various forms”.
It praises Black Lives Matter and says the group should “receive funding, public recognition and support”.
Bachelet, a former president of Chile, said reparations must not only be financial in nature, but include other “guarantees” to prevent future injustices.
“States must show stronger political will to accelerate action for racial justice, redress and equality through specific, time-bound commitments to achieve results,” she said.
“This will involve reimagining policing, and reforming the criminal justice system, which have consistently produced discriminatory outcomes for people of African descent.”
Bachelet welcomed a “promising initiative” by US President Joe Biden to address racial inequity, which involves attempting to level the playing field by treating racial groups differently based on perceived need.