Brazilian Delegation of Black Women Visits Washington and New York
Release WBO and Partners May 26, 2023
Group of 16 organizations goes to the US to seek international cooperation against racial violence
Department of State, US Congress and OAS will receive the delegation
A delegation made up of representatives from16 Brazilian organizations of Black women will be in Washington and New York from May 29th to June 8th. The organizations are part of the Black Alliance for the End of Violence, which, with the support of the Elas+ Fund, seeks on this trip to the United States to expand international cooperation to strengthen the fight against impunity in cases of racial violence in Brazil.
The Washington Brazil Office (WBO) is one of the organizations in the United States that supports the initiative, by articulating the agenda with counterparts in Washington. “For the WBO, it is important to help our partners build this bridge between Brazilian civil society organizations and international interlocutors, so that U.S. members of Congress, as well as officials in the Biden government and civil society leaders have firsthand access to information about the Brazilian reality, and for these Brazilian organizations to expand their voice and their fight internationally”, said Paulo Abrão, executive director of the WBO.
In Washington, the group should be received by the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the US Department of State,the Brazil Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS), and by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
At the US Congress, Brazilian organizations will be received by the Black Caucus – a group that, since 1969, has brought together members of Congress of African descent. There are also scheduled meetings with US civil society organizations dedicated to racial and human rights issues.
Together with the Black Alliance for the End of Violence, the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) is supporting the organization of this delegation through the formation of a Delegation of Racial Justice so that they can influence politically the implementation and strengthening of bilateral international agreements and treaties between their countries, while denouncing the structural and institutional racism that victimizes Black people in the Americas and violates their rights. On Thursday, June 1st at 1:15 pm an in-person event, "Racial and Gender Violence in Latin America," will take place with the participation of members of the delegation, along with Black women from Colombia and the Dominican Republic.
Agenda topics
Among the subjects the delegation will address is establishing effective actions in the implementation of the Joint Action Plan for the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promotion of Equality (JAPER), which has just been reactivated between Brazil and the United States. For this delegation, it is crucial that civil society has consultative space in projects to combat racial discrimination in both countries. Furthermore, the context of racial justice in the Americas is one of the key points for fostering exchanges between Brazilian, African-American organizations, and Black members of Congress.
Among the activities planned for New York is an event open to the public and the press on June 2 at the People's Forum (320 West 37th St, New York, NY 10018), in which the Black leaders of the Alliance will present their work in fighting for an end to violence and for the protection of the Black population in Brazil, in dialogue with important activists and leaders of the Black movement in the United States, such as Margaret Kimberley (Black Agenda Report). The event is a collaboration between Aliança Negra and Fundo ELAS+ Doar para Transformar with the Committee Defend Democracy in Brazil -- New York (DDB-NY), and is supported by DDB and The People’s Forum. Registration, both in person and virtually, can be made at this link.
