Civil And Human Rights Groups Ask For Further U.N. Involvement To End Racial Discrimination In U.S.

The American Civil Liberties Union joined a coalition of civil and human rights groups in sending a letter today to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, asking the committee to urge the United States government to comply with its obligations under international human rights laws and treaties regarding racial discrimination.

The letter asked the committee to urge the U.S. government to adopt a national plan of action for the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), with full and meaningful consultation with civil society and affected communities and in collaboration with local and state governments.

According to the letter, "People of African descent in the United States continue to face intentional, structural, and de facto forms of discrimination which manifest in unequal access to quality education, housing, health services, employment, electoral disfranchisement and discrimination in the criminal justice system, among many other issues."

Read the full press release.
Read the full text of the letter.