African Americans experience racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia, and other similar forms of intolerance.
African Americans’ treatment in terms of their human rights concerns the Working Group. For people of African descent, there hasn’t been any sincere dedication to making amends, finding the truth, or promoting healing. The divisive ideology of white supremacy threatens the US population’s social cohesion. Black people’s lynchings were an act of racial terrorism that the US must atone for since they created a legacy of racial injustice [4-6].
African Americans continue to trail behind the rest of the US population in almost every measure of human development. Unofficial sources claim between 38 and 75 instances of unarmed African Americans being killed by the police in 2015. The state is failing to take the required actions to protect the rights of African American communities, as evidenced, among other things, by the absence of gun control and stand-your-ground laws [7-9].
Ten of the 28 inmates slain in 2015 were African Americans, and one in three African American men will spend some time in prison or jail. 2.3 million African Americans are incarcerated, and 4.8 million are on parole or probation, making them disproportionately affected by mass incarceration. The absence of early investigations by outside, neutral entities into police agencies creates significant barriers to police accountability, according to the Working Group [10, 11].
The Working Group is concerned about access to high-quality medical care, particularly for mental health issues, and inadequate solitary confinement circumstances. The “war on drugs” has had an adverse effect that has led to widespread incarceration and has been compared to slavery. Compared to White women, Black women have a three-to-four-times higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications. African Americans are the group most likely to be obese, and “food deserts” are linked to obesity [12, 13].
The Working Group is concerned about the continued de facto housing segregation in several US urban regions. Black residents of low-income neighborhoods are more likely to be exposed to more violence and crime and to have fewer work possibilities. Zero tolerance rules and initiatives to boost school security have resulted in disproportionate punishment and racial profiling-based harassment of African American youth [14-16].
The lack of an avenue for African Americans to file individual complaints or lawsuits with regional and international organizations worries the Working Group. The annual income of African Americans in 2014 was roughly equal to that of non-Hispanic White Americans. The prevalence of violence against and killings of transgender women worries us the most [17-19].
The Review Committee examined the various manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia, and related manifestations of intolerance. In September 2016, they will give their mission report to the UN Human Rights Council along with their findings and recommendations. The ongoing de facto segregation of housing in a number of US metropolitan areas worries the working group. Black neighborhoods with low incomes are more prone to experiencing crime and violence, as well as having fewer employment options.
References
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[19] D. G. Bocian, W. Li, and K. S. Ernst, “Foreclosures by race and ethnicity,” Center for Responsible Lending, pp. 4-6, 2010.
