The United States is in the hot seat on the global stage to answer for its human rights track record in fighting racial discrimination at home. That stage is the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a body of international human rights experts who monitor compliance with a global racial justice treaty.
This is the first time U.S. leaders have appeared before this body since the racial reckoning of 2020 spurred by the murder of George Floyd. In fact, it’s been nearly 8 years since the United States last made a visit, after the Trump administration failed to appear at all. On Aug. 12 and 13, the U.S. government delegation defended their report to the committee and insisted that existing domestic measures are enough to address the country’s racial problems.
Anyone who has been paying attention to the state of racial justice in the United States, myself included, will not be convinced.
