(NAME-MCE) U.N. Independent Expert On Racism Begins Fact-Finding Mission In U.S.

[Anselmo Villanueva]

http://www.aclu.org/racialjustice/gen/35385prs20080519.html

U.N. Independent Expert On Racism Begins Fact-Finding Mission In U.S.

Official Visit Underscores Ongoing Issues Of Discrimination Throughout Nation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 19, 2008

CONTACT: Rachel Myers, ACLU, (212) 549-2689 or 2666; media at aclu.org

                Stacie Miller, Lawyers' Committee, (202) 662-8317

                Ajamu Baraka, USHRN, (404) 695-0475

WASHINGTON – Several national civil liberties and human rights groups
today welcomed a fact-finding mission to the U.S. by the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The American Civil
Liberties Union, Global Rights, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil
Rights Under the Law, the U.S. Human Rights Network, the NAACP Legal
Defense Fund, the Rights Working Group and the National Law Center on
Homelessness & Poverty call on the U.S., both state and local
governments, to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur.

"The visit of the Special Rapporteur is a critical opportunity to shed
light on the pervasive and systemic problem of racism and
discrimination in the United States," said Jamil Dakwar, Director of
the ACLU Human Rights Program. "In this election year, the eyes of the
world will be turned toward America and its longstanding promise to
end racial and ethnic inequalities."

At the invitation of the U.S. government, Special Rapporteur Doudou
Diène is visiting the U.S. from May 18 to June 6 to examine issues of
racism and racial discrimination in this country. Diène will visit
Washington, New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami
and San Juan, Puerto Rico over the next three weeks where he will
study incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the
governmental measures in place to address them.

Diène is scheduled to meet with federal and local government officials
as well as members of diverse communities across the United States and
representatives of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

"The Special Rapporteur's visit presents a unique opportunity to give
voice to those combating racism in the U.S. and will bring our
concerns to the U.N. and its enforcement mechanisms," said Aubrey
McCutcheon, Director of Programs at Global Rights. "I am confident Mr.
Diène's visit will heighten our efforts towards eliminating racism and
its vestiges."

In March 2008, the separate U.N. Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued a strongly worded critique of the
United States' record on racial discrimination and urged the
government to make sweeping reforms to policies affecting racial and
ethnic minorities, women, immigrants and indigenous populations in the
U.S. Several civil liberties and human rights organizations have urged
the Special Rapporteur to critically examine the continuation of
racism and racial discrimination in various areas identified by CERD
and well documented in extensive NGO reports, including criminal
justice, education, housing, juvenile justice, immigration policy,
police brutality, hate crimes and racial profiling.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was
established in 1993 by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and further
extended by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur will
submit a final report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in the
spring of 2009.

More information about the Special Rapporteur's visit is available
online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/sronracism.html
and www.ushrnetwork.org/special_rep

More information about the CERD recommendations to the U.S. is available at:

www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/cerd.htmland and
www.ushrnetwork.org/projects/cerd