Black Movement Calls for Coordinated Lula-Biden Action against Discrimination
WBO Press release February 8 2023
Ten organizations deliver a letter on the subject to the presidents of Brazil and the USA
Entities call for greater participation of civil society in the implementation of binational agreements
A group of ten Brazilian civil society organizations linked to the Black movement delivered this Wednesday, February 8 a letter to the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and of the United States, Joe Biden, with a series of demands.
The document was delivered two days before the meeting between Lula and Biden, scheduled to take place this Friday, February 10 in Washington, D.C. The Washington Brazil Office (WBO) acted as the initiative's unifying and articulating organization, calling and holding meetings of its affiliated organizations that work on issues related to racial discrimination.
The text asks that the two presidents make an “inclusive resumption” of the actions foreseen in the JAPER, the English acronym of the Brazil-US Joint Action for the Elimination of Ethnic-Racial Discrimination and the Promotion of Equality, a document signed in 2008 by the governments of both countries. The group says, referring to JAPER, that “the impact generated by the initiative was limited for three reasons: (i) the lack of interest of past administrations in implementing the plan; (ii) the absence of an objective implementation strategy; and (iii) the under-representation of civil society organizations in the design and implementation of the plan.”
Organizations of the Black movement consider that the following issues need special attention: education, gender, economic development (work and entrepreneurship), health, lack of political representation, and also the treatment in relation to violence against Black people.
“Violence still claims the lives of Black men, women and children. According to data from the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), 77 percent of murder victims in Brazil are Black, but represent 56 percent of the total population. In the United States, the number of people killed by the police broke a record in 2022, the murder rate of black people being disproportionate, as illustrated by emblematic cases, such as the murder of George Floyd in 2020,” the text states.
The document also declares that “although both countries have achieved important results in the fight against racism, we are far from reaching the day when racial discrimination will no longer be an issue of great concern.”
“Lula and Biden are two great democratic leaders in the Americas. Both are key players in expanding the concept of democracy. Strengthening Japer would be a manifestation of commitment and also an alliance with people of African descent in the Americas”, said Valdecir Pedreira do Nascimento, founder and assistant coordinator of Odara – Instituto da Mulher Negra.
“The cooperation between the two countries in the fight against racism and in the promotion of racial equity is fundamental. JAPER is a platform that can drive important actions in this area as long as Black organizations are central to any dealings,” said Daniel Teixeira, from the Center for the Study of Labor Relations and Inequalities (CEERT), one of the organizations participating in the initiative.
“The leading role of civil society and organized social struggle helped preserve democracy and bring these two leaders, Lula and Biden, to their respective pulpits. They are expected to maintain a vital role of listening and connecting with civil society and social movements in their respective countries. And it is legitimate to demand that they include social demands in the diplomatic dialogue,” said Paulo Abrão, executive director of the WBO.
The document also states that “although both countries have achieved important results in the fight against racism, we are far from reaching the day when racial discrimination will no longer be an issue of great concern.”
