Brazil holds 1st meeting with US in 10 years on ending racial, ethnic discrimination

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Representatives of Brazil and the US met Tuesday for the first time since 2013 to discuss a joint action plan aimed at benefiting marginalized racial and ethnic communities in both countries.

Bilateral discussions were held on the Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER) at the Itamaraty Palace in the capital Brasilia.

Brazil’s Minister of Racial Equality Anielle Franco led the talks, which were attended by a number of government officials, including US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols.

The meeting was the fulfillment of a pledge that Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Joe Biden made during their Feb. 10 meeting in Washington, D.C. to reinvigorate JAPER as a core element of US-Brazil relations, according to the US State Department.

The two governments pledged to work together to benefit marginalized racial and ethnic communities in both countries, including people of African descent and descendants of indigenous peoples.

"Our nations have a long history to where we are today. The origins, the challenges we face, whether it's related to slavery or marginalization of native peoples, indigenous peoples, anti-Semitism, discrimination—all these things we have already had to work to address. We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. And this is an opportunity for us to come together and find solutions for the benefit of our people," said Nichols.

The discussions involved direct action on education and racial violence to advance the bilateral agenda.

Regarding education, Franco and US Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice Desiree Cormier Smith said that universities in both countries linked to Afro-descendant causes and native populations will be chosen to promote student exchange programs under the JAPER initiative.

According to Smith, 465 Brazilians have already traveled and studied in the US.

"We want to build on this success and make sure that we expand and be very inclusive and also partner to ensure that these educational opportunities and access for people of African descent and also Native populations happen in Brazil and the United States as well," she said.

In addition, the JAPER initiative will address racial violence in both countries, with Franco and Smith agreeing that in general, the victims of violence are young Black men in Brazil and the US.

Franco pledged the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to this cause, citing the murders of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers in 2020 and Brazilian activist Marielle Franco in 2018 as instances of an ongoing “Black genocide.”

"Both countries still face a lot of violence against young Black men and the Black population in general," said Franco.