On Dec. 23, 2013, the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly proclaimed 2015–2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent with the theme “People of African descent: Recognition, justice and development.” At the center of this initiative is the promotion and protection of all human rights of people of African descent, the improvement of their well-being and the recognition of their culture, history and contribution to societies.
While this global invitation from the United Nations is most welcomed, people of African descent have been seeking promotion and protection of their human rights for many centuries. Take, for example, the slave revolts led by people of African descent in places like Charleston, South Carolina, where the martyred nine saints of Mother Bethel Church were fatally attacked this year. Also the uprisings of African slaves on slave ships during the trans-Atlantic slave trade and during Reconstruction, when African-Americans made significant political and economic gains after the Emancipation Proclamation, which were later pushed back by Jim Crow laws. In recent times, the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements are also examples. In each case, the faith of people of African descent and their youth have played important roles.
So what’s the significance of the U.N.’s commemoration? Although the U.N. has historically been committed to human rights, the decade invites a specific, unified approach of solidarity within the African diaspora and nation states where people of African descent are the majority, where they are not the majority and where they do not reside. This includes wealthier nations, rising, developing countries and poor countries that support the U.N. resolution. The decade is also aligned with the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that address matters of equality. Go here to learn more.
Recently I was at the launch of the commemoration in the U.S. The event was titled “Confronting the Silence: Perspectives and Dialogue on Structural Racism against People of African Descent Worldwide.” Marlysa Thomas, the new Bread for the World domestic advisor for policy and programs, specific populations, was also there. She summarized the most prominent themes of the commemoration: 1) the declaration that Black lives matter is a critically important assertion worldwide; 2) engaging governments on the local, state and national levels is crucial to seeking reform; 3) racial profiling is a problem that plagues all societies globally; 4) colorism is an issue that must be acknowledged in this initiative; and 5) progress on de-racialization is possible and has already been made in different areas of the world.
In sum, the decade calls for global solidarity with specific issues that most affect people of African descent but that also link to effectively addressing universal issues such as hunger and poverty, lack of fair trade opportunities, full employment, inadequate resources to empower small holders of land and lack of voice and participation. Bread for the World is committed to addressing these related issues that link to ending hunger. We invite you to join us at this momentous time.
Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith is the senior associate for national African-American church engagement at Bread for the World.
