,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #dba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ai1 #bjac ,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,recognizing people of ,african ,descent and ,black ,europeans4 ,whereas the #ajith ,congress passed ,h4 ,con4 ,res4 #fj and ,s4 ,con4 ,res4 #ij1 recognizing ,african descendants in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean1 raising awareness of the racism and discrimination faced by those communities1 and leading to numerous public and private sector initiatives between the ,united ,states and ,latin ,american and ,caribbean countries to improve the situation of ,african descendants2 ,whereas the persistence of racism and discrimination in ,europe similarly necessitates congressional action to raise awareness and promote public and private sector initiatives to stem this trend2 ,whereas the terms ,afro-,european1 ,african ,european1 or ,black ,european refer to people of ,african ancestry or descent born in1 citizens of1 or living in ,europe2 ,whereas an estimated #g1jjj1jjj to #aj1jjj1jjj individuals of ,african descent currently live in and have long had a presence in ,europe1 forming an influential part of the ,african diaspora2 ,whereas the story of ,black ,europeans remains widely untold1 rendering many of their past and present contributions to the political and social life of ,europe invisible or forgotten2 ,whereas unlike more contemporary figures1 largely unknown ,blacks have made significant contributions to ,european history and culture1 including ,spanish poet ,juan ,latino1 ,italian ,duke ,alessandro ,medici1 ,french novelist ,alexandre ,dumas1 ,german scholar ,anthony ,william ,amo1 ,french ,composer ,le ,chevalier de ,st4 ,george1 ,british abolitionist ,oladuah ,equiano1 and ,russian ,general and ,governor ,abram ,hannibal1 great-grandfather of ,russian poet ,aleksandr ,pushkin2 ,whereas the largest estimated populations of ,black ,europeans can be found in ,france 7approximately #b1ejj1jjj71 the ,united ,kingdom 7approximately #a1ejj1jjj71 and the ,netherlands 7approximately #ejj1jjj71 in addition to sizeable populations in ,germany1 ,italy1 ,portugal1 ,sweden1 ,norway1 ,ireland1 ,russia1 ,switzerland1 ,spain1 ,belgium1 ,denmark1 and ,austria2 ,whereas the presence of ,blacks in ,europe can be traced to voluntary and forced migration resulting from the geographical proximity of ,europe to ,africa and the ,middle ,east1 including the transatlantic slave trade1 the colonization of ,africa and the ,caribbean1 ,african and ,african-,american military deployments1 the movement of refugees and asylum seekers1 and educational and other professional exchanges2 ,whereas although ,black ,europeans have made significant achievements in and contributions to ,european society1 large numbers have and continue to be more likely than the general population to experience discrimination and be underrepresented in leadership roles in the public and private sector as a result of the color of their skin and ancestry2 ,whereas racism has long been1 and continues to be1 a problem in ,europe2 ,whereas1 on ,april #bi1 #bjjh1 before the ,commission on ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe1 at a hearing entitled ,the ,state of 7,in7visible ,black ,europe3 ,race1 ,rights1 and ,politics1 ,dr4 ,philomena ,essed stated1 ,probably the only common ,european experience among many1 if not all1 ,afro-descendants is their exposure to ''' racism and systemic discrimination1 regardless of country1 socio-economic conditions1 gender1 age1 or level of education2 ,whereas as early as #aiig1 the ,european ,commission opinion poll entitled ,racism and ,xenophobia in ,europe reported a worrying level of racism and xenophobia in ,european ,union ,member ,states1 with nearly #cc of those interviewed openly describing themselves as quite racist or very racist42 ,whereas annual reports of the ,european ,union ,fundamental ,rights ,agency 7,,eufra71 including the #bjji ,european ,union ,minorities and ,discrimination ,survey 7,,eu-,,midis71 the first ,european ,union-wide survey of ethnic minority and immigrant groups' experiences of discrimination and victimization in everyday life in the #bg member states of the ,european ,union1 have found that persons of ,african descent experience high incidents of discriminatory treatment1 racist crime1 and victimization1 and lacked an awareness of their rights1 often underreporting cases of discrimination to law enforcement and human rights agencies2 ,whereas the #bjac ,organization for ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe ,office for ,democratic ,institutions and ,human ,rights 7,,osce_/,,odihr7 ,annual ,hate ,crimes report included findings that there were more than #af deaths and violent assaults against people of ,african origin1 and that persons of ,african descent are often targets of racist and anti-migrant violence1 especially in eastern ,europe1 yet in many countries legal assistance and financial support for victims while recovering from violent attacks does not exist2 ,whereas prejudice and discrimination towards ,black ,europeans has also been linked to changes in immigration and asylum laws as a result of antiterrorism initiatives and the growth and mainstreaming of nationalist and anti-immigrant political parties and groups1 including neo-,nazis and skinheads2 ,whereas the ,open ,society ,justice ,initiative in an initial #bjji report1 entitled ,ethnic ,profiling in the ,european ,union1 and subsequent reports has found that police officers in the ,united ,kingdom1 ,france1 ,italy1 ,germany1 and the ,netherlands routinely use racial profiling1 including targeting ,blacks1 when deciding whom to target for stops1 searches1 raids1 and surveillance1 leading to some of the first nationwide grassroots and legal efforts to end racial profiling in ,france1 ,germany1 and elsewhere in ,europe2 ,whereas there have been numerous efforts by the public and private sector to address racial discrimination and inequality in ,europe1 including the introduction of antidiscrimination and equality laws that include the legal support for special measures or positive 7affirmative7 action1 creation of equality bodies1 media campaigns1 and efforts to increase minority political participation1 and campaigns to end the use of stereotypes and derogatory terms to refer to ,blacks in everyday language1 the media1 and textbooks2 ,whereas these efforts include the ,united ,nations designation of #bjaa as the ,international ,year for ,people of ,african ,descent in an effort to strengthen national actions to ensure that people of ,african descent enjoy economic1 cultural1 social1 civil1 and political rights1 as well as promote a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture2 ,whereas these efforts also include the ,,osce ,parliamentary ,assembly's 7,,pa7 adoption of a ,resolution on ,strengthening ,efforts to ,combat ,racism and ,xenophobia and ,foster ,inclusion at the #bjaa ,annual ,session recognizing the international year for people of ,african descent and calling for ,,osce to implement several strategic initiatives to address racial and ethnic discrimination in the ,,osce region2 ,whereas in #bjaa1 ,,osce_/,,odihr held its first ,roundtable on the contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia affecting ,peoples of ,african ,descent in the ,,osce region1 and in #bjab a hate crimes training for the people of ,african descent1 and in #bjac an exchange with ,european and ,united ,states civil rights leaders of ,african descent and other public and private sector entities combating discrimination and inequality2 ,whereas these efforts also include transatlantic meetings of ,black and minority legislators held at the ,european ,parliament in ,brussels1 ,belgium1 including the ,march #bd1 #bjaa1 and ,june #a1 #bjaj1 through ,june #b1 #bjaj1 ,transatlantic ,minority ,political ,leadership ,conferences and ,april #ae1 #bjji1 through ,april #af1 #bjji1 ,black ,european ,summit3 ,transatlantic ,dialogue on ,political ,participation and the adoption of the ,brussels ,declaration calling for increased minority political inclusion2 ,whereas as part of the ,march #bd1 #bjaa1 ,transatlantic ,minority ,political ,leadership ,conference legislators and minority leaders from ,north ,america and ,europe held a ,parliamentary ,forum at the ,european ,parliament in ,brussels1 ,belgium1 to discuss a ,joint ,action ,plan on ,racial and ,ethnic ,equality and ,inclusion between the ,european ,union and ,united ,states2 ,whereas in ,october #bjac1 ,european ,parliamentarians in partnership with the ,european ,network ,against ,racism 7,,enar7 held 7,in7visible ,diversity a series of debates in the ,european ,parliament1 including1 a debate entitled1 ,people of ,african descent and ,black ,europeans3 ,realities of ,afrophobia2 ,whereas despite these efforts1 international entities1 such as the ,,osce ,personal ,representative on ,combating ,racism1 ,xenophobia and ,discrimination1 ,,eufra1 the ,european ,commission against ,racism and ,intolerance1 and the ,united ,nations ,committee on the ,elimination of ,racial ,discrimination1 ,special ,rapporteur on ,contemporary ,forms of ,racism1 ,independent ,expert on minority issues1 and ,experts ,working ,group on ,people of ,african ,descent1 have documented ongoing racism and xenophobia1 and racial and ethnic discrimination1 and called for an increase in initiatives to combat racism and inequality2 and ,whereas throughout the history of the ,united ,states1 members of both the public and private sectors have exchanged information on best practices for antidiscrimination measures and racial equality with committed parties in other countries1 including initiatives such as the ongoing implementation of the #bjjh ,joint ,action ,plan ,between the ,government of the ,federative ,republic of ,brazil and the ,government of the ,united ,states of ,america to ,eliminate ,racial and ,ethnic ,discrimination and ,promote ,equality1 also known as the ,united ,states-,brazil ,joint ,action ,plan ,against ,racial ,discrimination1 and the more recent ,united ,states-,colombia ,action ,plan on ,racial and ,ethnic ,equality3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 encourages the recognition and celebration of the collective history and achievements made by people of ,african descent2 7#b7 reaffirms the importance of inclusion and the full and equal participation of people of ,african descent around the world in all aspects of political1 economic1 social1 and cultural life2 7#c7 recognizes that1 as a result of their skin color and ancestry1 many ,black ,europeans have wrongfully experienced injustices in the public and private sector2 7#d7 welcomes parliamentary activities1 including those of the ,organization for ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe 7,,osce7 ,parliamentary ,assembly1 to engage in efforts to promote racial equality and combat racial discrimination through efforts such as introducing legislation1 speaking out against racism1 increasing the political participation of racial minorities1 and working with ,black ,european and other minority communities to develop relevant policies2 7#e7 urges ,european governments and members of civil society and the private sector1 in consultation with ,black ,european communities1 to develop and implement initiatives to combat racial discrimination and promote racial equality in ,europe1 by-- 7,a7 drafting and implementing antidiscrimination1 special measures1 hate crimes1 migration and integration1 and other laws and policies to address discrimination and disparities and promote equality1 noting the recommendations of the ,united ,nations ,committee on the ,elimination of ,racial ,discrimination1 the ,experts ,working ,group on ,people of ,african ,descent 7,,wgpad71 the ,european ,commission against ,racism and ,intolerance1 the ,european ,union ,fundamental ,rights ,agency 7,,eufra71 the ,united ,nations ,special ,rapporteur on ,contemporary ,forms of ,racism and ,independent ,expert on minority issues1 and the ,,osce ,personal ,representative on ,combating ,racism1 ,xenophobia and ,discrimination2 7,b7 promoting and funding research1 including the collection of national census data on ,black ,europeans and its inclusion in the annual reports of the ,,eufra2 7,c7 providing technical support1 training1 and funding to ,black ,european civil society groups working to combat racism1 discrimination1 and inequality1 and uphold basic human rights in ,europe2 7,d7 introducing national measures to counter stereotypical images of persons of ,african descent1 by revising textbooks1 increasing efforts to include ,black ,europeans in history and heritage institutions1 and remembering victims of colonialism1 slavery1 and other atrocities2 7,e7 developing or increasing financial support for funds to assist victims of hate crimes with legal assistance and compensation when incapacitated due to physical or emotional injuries2 7,f7 developing specific initiatives that address the special concerns of ,black ,european women and youth2 7,g7 actively promoting racial and ethnic minority participation at all levels of national1 regional1 and local government through the education of civil and political rights1 including the legislative process and advocacy of legislative issues relevant to racial and ethnic minority communities1 development of targeted professional development and hiring strategies1 increased youth and community outreach1 and self-organization and other empowerment initiatives2 and 7,h7 recruiting1 training1 and hiring ,black ,europeans for professional positions in support of these initiatives2 7#f7 urges the ,secretary of ,state to-- 7,a7 provide technical assistance and other support for ,european governments and members of the civil society and private sector to fulfill the initiatives outlined above2 7,b7 increase support for the ,,wgpad2 and 7,c7 appoint a ,senior ,advisor on ,afro-descent peoples at the ,department of ,state and create a ,fund for the ,inclusion of ,racial and ,ethnic minorities modeled after the ,department's ,international ,fund for ,women and ,girls and ,,lgbt ,global ,equality ,funds2 and 7#g7 supports the adoption of a ,joint ,action ,plan on ,racial and ,ethnic ,equality and ,inclusion between the ,european ,union and ,united ,states and implementation of the ,,osce ,parliamentary ,assembly #bjaa ,resolution on ,strengthening ,efforts to ,combat ,racism and ,xenophobia and ,foster ,inclusion to assist in fulfilling the initiatives above4