[Mb-civic] FW: Statements and Press Releases by the U.S. Delegation

[Golsorkhi]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Samii Shahla <shahla at thesamiis.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 20:07:49 -0400
Subject: Statements and Press Releases by the U.S. Delegation

  Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and all Forms of
Discrimination

Statement by Goli Ameri
  Public Member of the U.S. Delegation

  (As Prepared for Delivery)

Dear Mr. Chairman

  Distinguished Delegates,

  The U.S. Government remains committed to the fight against racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance wherever and
whenever they occur - in our own country and around the world.

  The record of the United States is not unblemished in these matters.
My country's history of violent mistreatment of Native Americans,
enslavement and discrimination against African-Americans, as well as
other racial and ethnic injustices, is well known. These episodes are
in our past, and we continually fight to overcome their legacy.
Nevertheless, my country is proud of the progress we have made and
continue to make. Indeed, this year, we celebrated the 40th anniversary
of the historic voting rights march on Selma, Alabama, led by the great
civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Today, Dr. King's dream that his four children would one day
live in a nation where they would be judged, not by the color of their
skin, but by the content of their character, is closer to reality than
ever before. Let us not forget that this year also saw the passing of
Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress,
as well as the first woman to compete for the presidential nomination
of one of our major political parties.

  Today, the United States is one of the most racially diverse countries
in the world, in large part because of our history of immigration. As a
matter of national policy, the U.S. Government has long condemned
discrimination and vigorously enforces laws and programs designed to
ensure equality of opportunity. Foremost among protections against
discrimination, the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments, coupled with
the federal civil rights legislation enacted in the 1960s, prohibit
discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin. For more
than half a century, our federal government has promoted equality by
enacting and enforcing statutes that prohibit racial and ethnic
discrimination in housing, employment, education, voting and access to
public accommodations. While we still have a long way to go, the United
States strives, with the passage of time, to be more racially and
ethnically tolerant and united, and to celebrate our differences rather
than use them as excuses for discrimination.

  Yet, despite this progress, racism continues to exist in the United
States and race-based disparities of economic well-being persist.
President Bush has made issues of racial diversity and equal
opportunity an important part of his agenda. Indeed, the President's
cabinet is the most diverse in the history of the United States.

Meanwhile, let us not forget that the battle against racism globally
must involve fighting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, insidious forms
of racial and religious prejudice, which remain prevalent throughout
the world. Since the tragic events of 9/11, President Bush has
repeatedly made public statements reminding the citizens of the United
States that we are a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society, and that
we must continue to respect and celebrate the diversity in our country.

  Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, let me emphasize the willingness of the
United States to join with other countries - here at the Commission of
Human Rights and elsewhere - to work toward the elimination of racism
and discrimination in all of its ugly manifestations.

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