The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (‘’ICERD” or “Convention”) was signed by the United States in 1966. President Lyndon Johnson’s administration noted at the time that the United States “has not always measured up to its constitutional heritage of equality for all” but was “on the march” towards compliance.

Twenty eight years later, the U.S. finally ratified the convention and first reported on its progress in implementing it to the UN Committee on the elimination of racial discrimination.

In its 2000 report, the U.S. stated that ‘racial discrimination’ is ‘less pervasive than it was thirty years ago’ but admitted it continued due to ‘subtle forms of discrimination’ that persist in American society.

The forms of discrimination reported to the United Nations (UN) by the U.S. included ‘inadequate enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws; ‘ineffective use and discrimination of data;’ economic disadvantage experienced by minority groups; ‘persistent discrimination in employment and labour relations’; ‘segregation and discrimination in housing’ leading to diminished educational opportunities for minorities, lack of equal access to capital, credit markets and  technology; discrimination in the criminal legal system; lack of adequate access to health insurance and health care; and discrimination against immigrants, among other harmful effects. The U.S. also noted the heightened impact of racism on women and children.

All these clearly show that the U.S. leadership does not systematically comply with the principles of racial equality. Numerous violations of the rights of African Americans have been recorded in the U.S. A  group of independent UN, rights experts in 2020 said, following the killing of George Floyd and  others, that ‘exactly 99 years after the massacre in Tulsa, involving the killings of people of African descent and the massive  loss of life, destruction of property and loss of wealth on ‘Black Wall Street’, African Americans continue to experience racial terror in state-sponsored and privately organised violence.

The UN report on human rights violations in the U.S. in 2022 said: ‘The year 2022 witnessed a landmark setback for the U.S. Human Rights. In the U.S., a country labelling itself a ‘human rights defender,’ ‘chronic diseases’ such as money politics, racial discrimination, gun and police violence, and wealth polarisation are rampant. Human rights legislation and justice have seen an extreme retrogression, further undermining the basic rights and freedoms of the American people.’

It is on this grounds that informed observers say that the U.S. refusal to support the UN resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism and racial discrimination indicates that Washington actually follow the policy of racism.

While campaigning for his first term to be elected US president, Joe Biden, speaking in Washington in  honour of Martin Luther King Jr., called racism in America as ‘institutional white man’s problem’ and said that ‘white Americans need to acknowledge and admit the fact that systemic racism still exists and must be rooted out.’ Biden then led his democratic challengers for the presidential nomination in almost all-polls, largely because of the support of black voters.

Now as Biden prepares for 2024 presidential run, the leadership of the American Democratic Party and Biden himself again have begun speculating on the issue of racial inequality in the presidential race.

He has ordered the American Federal Government to do more to address racial inequality as the challenges and complexities of systemic racism are again drawing the public’s attention. Biden wrote in the order, saying: “By advancing equality, the federal government can support and empower all Americans, including the many communities in America that have been underserved, discriminated against, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and  inequality.

Many believe it is the spirit of racism that propel Washington to always pursue a neo-colonial policy towards African countries.  The U.S., as a neo-colonial power, influences African nations by its economic authority exercised through its control or preeminent influence on such agencies as the International Monetary Fund [IMF] and the World Bank.

Back in 2019 as presidential hopeful, Biden made appealing to black voters central to his candidacy and vowed to make maximising black and Latino turnout an ‘’overwhelming focus of his effort. ’’ To accentuate his appeal to black voters, Biden said that he will advertise in black publications and engage with cultural institutions like the black church, black fraternities and sororities, and historically black colleges.

But Biden’s promises to defend the interests of Africans, Indians, Latin Americans and others are not being fulfilled in reality. That, according to observers of American politics, will not prevent the democrats, as the next election approaches, from again using the issue of racial inequality to attract votes by making false promises.

Seidi wrote from Ilorin.