UN expert shocked by systemic racism in the US
Systemic racism and racial discrimination persist in the United States, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Ashwini K.P., said following a visit to the States.
The Special Rapporteur visited a number of states and intends to report on her visit in June 2024.
“During my visit, it was abundantly clear that many continue to face persistent systematic racism and racial discrimination. I heard that the initiatives the Government is implementing have not yet translated into significant improvements in the experience of most individuals and do not adequately address white supremacy, which is at the heart of the imbalance of power. This reinforces contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination,” Ashwini K.P. told at the briefing.
“Moreover, I note with deep concern the coordinated resistance to initiatives aimed at establishing racial justice,” she added.
She said many people she met during the trip “described the necessity of fighting for all their fundamental rights and how they often faced pushback.”
“The U.S. is at a critical juncture in the fight against racism and racial discrimination …. These manifestations of racism have impacted racially marginalized people at every stage of their lives historically, systematically and institutionally,” the statement quoted a UN expert as saying.
In November, a report on the situation in the United States by the UN Human Rights Committee said that criminal justice in the United States is harsher on ethnic minorities than on whites, with blacks more likely to be sentenced to death and given harsher sentences.