{"id":34693,"date":"2022-08-11T16:46:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/11\/the-us-should-seize-the-opportunity-for-global-leadership-on-racial-justice\/"},"modified":"2022-08-11T16:46:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:46:00","slug":"the-us-should-seize-the-opportunity-for-global-leadership-on-racial-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/11\/the-us-should-seize-the-opportunity-for-global-leadership-on-racial-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"The US should seize the opportunity for global leadership on racial justice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The United States\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1966\/07\/07\/82473546.html?pageNumber=22\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a>\u00a0the United Nations racial discrimination treaty in the summer of 1966, less than a year after the passage of the Voting Rights Act and two years after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act. The Senate took another 28 years to\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/treaties.un.org\/pages\/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&amp;mtdsg_no=IV-2&amp;chapter=4&amp;clang=_en\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">consent to ratification<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even though the treaty has long been the law of the land, it has never been fully implemented. The United States has about as contentious a relationship with the human rights movement as it does with domestic campaigns against racism and xenophobia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tbinternet.ohchr.org\/_layouts\/15\/treatybodyexternal\/Download.aspx?symbolno=CERD%2fC%2f107%2f1&amp;Lang=en\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Today<\/a>\u00a0and Friday, at United Nations hearings in Geneva, the Biden administration has a chance to commit to real progress on both, as the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination examines the U.S.\u2019s record of combating racial discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>In nearly three decades, the U.S. has failed to make enough progress on eliminating discrimination to make good on its treaty obligations. A\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2022\/08\/08\/us-dismantle-structures-racism-now\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>\u00a0published this week by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch (we are co-authors) details many of the biggest shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p>Racial minorities in the U.S. experience\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/blog\/how-we-rise\/2022\/02\/02\/narrowing-the-racial-wealth-gap-using-the-eitc-and-ctc\/\">much less economic security<\/a>\u00a0than their white counterparts \u2014 the average white family has\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/blog\/up-front\/2020\/12\/08\/the-black-white-wealth-gap-left-black-households-more-vulnerable\/\">many times the wealth<\/a>\u00a0of the average Black family \u2014 and that racial wealth gap has actually grown since the U.S. signed up to the treaty. Black and brown communities endure severe disadvantages due to the ongoing effects of discriminatory policies in\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/ideas\/land-and-the-roots-of-african-american-poverty\">land and home ownership<\/a>, denial of\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/scholars.unh.edu\/honors\/188\/\">health care<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/policy2020\/bigideas\/why-we-need-reparations-for-black-americans\/\">segregation in education<\/a>. The ongoing COVID pandemic has only\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2020\/06\/10\/human-rights-watch-testimony-us-house-representatives-ways-and-means-committee\">exacerbated these disparities<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>In our view, there are three key areas where decisive executive action by the Biden administration could significantly improve U.S. compliance with this important treaty: reparations, criminal justice and immigration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, the Biden administration could announce a federal commission (and more actively support pending\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/40\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation<\/a>) to develop reparations proposals for the descendants of enslaved peoples. The review of the U.S. record comes at a moment of reckoning with the legacies of enslavement, colonial rule and racism worldwide. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the U.S. and other governments to make this a \u201cturning point\u201d in her recent\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/documents-dds-ny.un.org\/doc\/UNDOC\/GEN\/G21\/122\/03\/PDF\/G2112203.pdf?OpenElement\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>\u00a0on racial discrimination and excessive use of force by law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>President Biden could lead on this issue by taking executive action creating a reparations commission and by supporting initiatives to address the enduring legacy of slavery. A reparations commission would be empowered to explore a full range of remedial policies that could eliminate discrimination in \u2014 and promote substantive equality across \u2014 wealth, income, health and maternal mortality, access to social services and educational opportunities. The administration should also direct this commission to assess whether establishing minimum federal benefit levels would alleviate persistent racial disparities in these areas. The Biden administration has the perfect opportunity this week to advance remedial principles enshrined in the U.N. racial discrimination treaty and make reparations a part of federal policy.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Second, the Biden administration could announce a set of federal reforms to be implemented by the Department of Justice. Much (though by no means all) of the systemic racism embodied in the U.S. leadership as the preeminent\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/reports\/pie2022.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">incarceration nation<\/a>\u00a0is driven by state and local law enforcement and prosecutors disproportionately enforcing laws forged in a context of white supremacy. But the federal government has a lot of power and influence to wield.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the Biden administration can declare a moratorium on the federal death penalty; pursue commutation of all federal death sentences; establish a presumption of release for those serving unjust, excessive sentences by issuing mass, categorical clemency grants; fund local pilot programs that explore alternatives to policing and pre-trial incarceration; condition federal funds to law enforcement on robust early warning and accountability systems (rather than funding\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/08\/01\/fact-sheet-president-bidens-safer-america-plan-2\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more policing<\/a>); and, finally, unconditionally decline to prosecute children as adults in the federal system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice could also study the need to abolish the exception in the Constitution\u2019s 13th Amendment that permits forced labor as punishment for a crime. These steps \u2014 all within the power of the president and attorney general \u2014 would bring the U.S. into greater compliance with the U.N. racial discrimination treaty and serve as a clarion call for justice reform actions to be taken around the country that would dismantle major drivers of racism in the abuse of state power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Third, the Biden administration could take decisive action aimed at reducing discrimination in the enforcement of immigration laws. The U.S. has\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/digitallibrary.un.org\/record\/432925\/files\/CERD_C_351_Add.1-EN.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acknowledged<\/a>\u00a0to the U.N.\u00a0that \u201cdiscrimination against immigrants\u201d is one factor driving the \u201csubtle and elusive\u201d forms of discrimination that \u201cpersist in American society.\u201d The administration can take immediate action to address those forms of discrimination by phasing out immigration detention \u2014 starting with immediately shuttering facilities where officials have\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/immigrantjustice.org\/sites\/default\/files\/content-type\/research-item\/documents\/2020-04\/Justice-Free%20Zones_Immigrant_Detention_Report_ACLU-HRW-NIJC_April-2020.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeatedly abused immigrants\u2019 rights<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and establishing a clear prohibition on the use of\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/12\/06\/us\/politics\/obama-to-impose-racial-profiling-curbs-with-exceptions.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">racial profiling in border or immigration enforcement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Federal power should never be differentially applied by law enforcement based on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, nationality or English proficiency, and the Biden administration has the power to operationalize that principle. At the state level, the Department of Justice could bring civil rights litigation to eliminate discriminatory local initiatives targeting immigrants, such as Texas\u2019\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/operation-lone-star-doj-investigation-abbott\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation Lonestar<\/a>. Finally, the administration could study immigration laws that must be repealed or reformed because they effectuate racial animus or have a discriminatory effect, as one federal judge\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/immigrantjustice.org\/staff\/blog\/landmark-decision-finds-illegal-reentry-charges-are-racist-origin-discriminatory\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has found<\/a>\u00a0in relation to the federal illegal reentry statute. Actions like these would reduce racial disparities in immigration enforcement and help the U.S. live up to the commitment it made decades ago when it signed up to the treaty to protect migrants\u2019 rights as human rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"thehill-promo-link\">\n\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/finance\/3596908-despite-setbacks-theres-hope-for-build-back-betters-family-supports\/\" class=\"thehill-promo-link__link\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\tDespite setbacks, there\u2019s hope for Build Back Better\u2019s transformative family supports\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/3593540-the-democrats-2022-death-wish\/\" class=\"thehill-promo-link__link\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\tThe Democrats\u2019 2022 death wish\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>This is a special moment in the fight for racial justice in the U.S. On the heels of the Trump administration, which often framed its policies in\u00a0explicitly\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanfordlawreview.org\/online\/white-nationalism-as-immigration-policy\/\">racist or xenophobic terms<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/coronavirus-pandemic-health-donald-trump-public-health-new-york-af74214dee66e60c4251f776f7b906b3\" rel=\"noopener\">against the stark racial disparities<\/a>\u00a0in COVID\u2019s toll, the public is especially conscious of the importance of valuing Black and brown lives degraded by systemic racism. The Biden administration has already\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/20\/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government\/\">signaled<\/a>\u00a0a willingness to take up the cause of eliminating discrimination by promoting racial equity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Hearings this week in Geneva will show just how far the U.S. has to go. President Biden should take advantage of this singular opportunity to recognize the work that remains to be done \u2014 and to begin to do it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Ian M. Kysel is an assistant clinical professor of Law at Cornell Law School. Anjana Malhotra is a senior attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. G. Alex Sinha is an\u00a0<\/em><em>A<\/em><em>ssociate professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/civil-rights\/3597207-the-us-should-seize-the-opportunity-for-global-leadership-on-racial-justice\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] The United States\u00a0signed\u00a0the United Nations racial discrimination treaty in the summer of 1966, less&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}