UN experts: 'Exhaustion of being Black is present' in US daily lives

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 May 2023 08:49

An initial statement shows that the experts appreciated "various promising initiatives, including at the state level, that authorities have developed to combat racial discrimination."

Member flags flying around the UN Headquarters in New York, US in July 2008 (Reuters)

The exhaustion of the Black community in the US has been underlined by a team of UN experts on racism on Friday, stressing that the culture of slavery must be a matter of discussion by authorities "at all levels."

The UN team, established after the death of George Floyd in 2020 of George Floyd, met with victims over the course of 12 days alongside police unions and the judiciary in Los Angeles, Washington, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

The team is formally labeled and known as the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement.

Tracie Keesee, one of the team experts, stated at a news conference afterward, "In the US, racial inequity dates back to the very creation of this country. And there'll be no quick fixes," adding that the prevailing conditions urge "for comprehensive reform and strong leadership at all levels" to handle the "deep entrenched legacy" in the daily lives of the African-American people.

"To this day, racial discrimination permeates through encounters with law enforcement from first contact, arrest, detention, sentencing and disenfranchisement," she continued.

Results highlighted "the exhaustion of being Black is present in the daily lives" as Black police officers also expressed "the stress of being Black in America."

An initial statement, as a more detailed one is expected to come, shows that the experts appreciated "various promising initiatives, including at the state level, that authorities have developed to combat racial discrimination."

It noted "an urgency, and a moral responsibility, to echo the harrowing pain of victims and their resounding calls for accountability and support."

Racism woven through American social fabric

Racial injustice has been present in the US ever since its creation, as it was built and founded on the sweat and blood of African enslaved people.

Racial disparities are found in all walks of life in the United States, as it was reported on September 29 that Black Americans were seven times more likely than their White counterparts to be wrongfully convicted of serious offenses, and they spend more time in jail before being exonerated.

Although they make up 13.6% of the American population, Black people account for 53% of the 3,200 exonerations listed on the registry as of August 8, 2022.

In a nation that claims to be the role model of beaming democracy and human rights equality, demographic groups such as Latinos, African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous peoples bear the brunt of inequalities at the very hands of law enforcement whose job is meant to protect them.