Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia & Related Intolerance | Press Conference | United Nations

Press conference by Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, upon the conclusion of her mission to the United States. A human rights expert urged the United States of America to “address pervasive hate and stay the course to eliminate systemic racism and racial discrimination.” Addressing journalists today (14 Nov) after a 14-day visit to the United States of America, Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, said that the country is at a critical junction in the fight against racism and racial discrimination noted that the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others, the racially disparate impact of the COVID-19 and large-scale racial justice protests in 2020 brought some of the realities of persistent systemic racism, more into the mainstream American consciousness, According to Ashwini, this reckoning was translated into a strong commitment to racial justice and initiatives designed by the Biden-Harris administration to improve racial equity. However, the expert said she was also shocked and sometimes appalled by the multi-faceted and mutually reinforcing manifestations of systemic racism she witnessed in every state she visited. She said, “The various initiatives by the federal and state government have had a positive impact, and I welcome these initiatives but remain deeply concerned by the persistence and pervasive of racism and racial discrimination in America. At such a critical junction, it is vital that the United States government, including both federal and state authorities, urgently address pervasive hate and stay the course to eliminate systemic racism and racial discrimination.” She continued, “This will require significantly increased investment, wholescale improvement in political, public, and civic participation of those from racially marginalized groups, and further actions to increase the civility of the political and societal climate. Moreover, anti-racism efforts must be more effectively anchored in addressing the white supremacy, underlying power imbalances, and historical drivers of racism and racial discrimination.” The expert’s statement described testimonies she received from members of racially marginalized groups, detailing multiple manifestations of systemic racism, including voter disenfranchisement, homelessness, environmental racism, racially discriminatory food systems, inequitable healthcare and health outcomes, and discriminatory migration governance systems. She said, “I observed with profound concern a climate characterized by deep political polarization, economic uncertainty, extreme income and wealth inequality, and severe damage to the fabric of American society. These trends are creating fertile ground for hatred, including stereotyping and scapegoating of those from several groups, including black individuals, Latinos, migrants, Asians, Jewish communities, Muslim individuals, and Arabs.” Answering a question, she said, “In the recent past, hate speech has disseminated in an extremely problematic manner, which has affected the very social fabric of American society in terms of how it has translated into violence on ground.” She added, “We have taken a serious note of antisemitism and Islamophobia that has escalated in the recent past, and in the last, many, many weeks, we have heard instances of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the US among activists in universities and various other places.” Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.