Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
Human Rights Council – 54th Session
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
As Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor
Thank you, Mr. Vice President. And thank you, Experts, for your report.
The United States recognizes the lasting and painful effects of racism and racial discrimination on all aspects of life for members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities, particularly people of African descent. We remain committed to our promise to remove systemic barriers, support health and well-being, and advance equal opportunity for all, including through economic empowerment.
Our recent Infrastructure Law makes long overdue investments in communities of color, rural communities, and communities of persistent poverty, which have faced decades of disinvestment. Additionally, we are investing nearly $100 million in grants to help minority and other underserved entrepreneurs who seek capital to grow and scale their businesses, with the goal of helping to close the racial wealth gap.
Highlighting our longstanding commitment to partnership, the President created the Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States to advance equity and opportunity for the African Diaspora and to strengthen cultural, social, political, and economic ties between African communities, the global African Diaspora, and the United States.
What more can be done to tackle racial discrimination and to dismantle entrenched structural and institutional racism?
I thank you.
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