Black Parliamanet of the Americas Founded

[Guest guest]

As the media is Portraying American Blacks as Looting Refugees around

the world Black Leaders of the Americas and Caribean found The Black

Parliament of the Americas and the Caribbean.

 

 

Black Parliament to fight racism, discrimination in Americas

By Douglas Marin.

http://www.mexico.com/notimexico/?method=una&id=4490〈=eng

 

Limon, Costa Rica, Aug 31 (EFE).- African-descended legislators from

22 Western Hemisphere nations gathered here Wednesday to found the

Black Parliament of the Americas as an institution dedicated to

fighting racism and discrimination.

With the participation of almost 100 delegates, the assembly was

inaugurated in a ceremony held in the Caribbean province of Limon,

where the largest concentration of Costa Rica's African descendants

is located.

The event was held in a downtown restaurant in the city of Limon on a

sunny morning on which participants wore colorful clothing and danced

to the rhythms of a Calypso band that livened up the scene.

The creation of the parliament came on the third and final day of the

3rd Meeting of African-Descended Legislators of the Americas.

Brazil's minister in charge of promoting racial equality, Matilde

Ribeiro, told EFE that the creation of the Black Parliament "is an

important initiative to form an organizing entity to promote the

inclusion of the black population in the societies of the Americas

and the Caribbean."

"The Black Parliament also will serve to make proposals to the

respective governments for them to implement agendas that help

overcome racism," she added.

Although the parliament will not have a specific seat, the founders

agreed that the entity's first session tentatively will be held on

Dec. 1 in Brasilia within the context of a regional conference

against racism.

The participating lawmakers selected a six-person provisional

directorate of lawmakers from Brazil, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago,

Canada and Costa Rica.

The parliament will be headed by a president and two secretaries, who

are to be elected at the Brasilia meeting.

The lawmakers also agreed that the top posts will be renewed every

two years and the parliament will have a plenary assembly attended by

legislators from the region as well as a permanent advisory council

formed by representatives of organizations from civil society.

The only requirement for being part of the Black Parliament is to be

a legislator from one of the 22 participating countries.

Also taking part in the parliament's founding activities were

representatives of the Organization of American States, U.N.

Development Program and international non-governmental organizations.

The OAS's Clare Robert told EFE that the new parliament "will serve

to eliminate the invisibility of African-descended peoples, which is

one of the main problems experienced by this population."

Participating in the meeting were representatives of Argentina,

Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua,

Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United

States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Among the new parliament's objectives is to fight against racism and

discrimination, as well as to push for actions that promote

integration, equality and the recognition of human rights. EFE

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