Introduction to the International Decade for People of African Descent

The General Assembly of the United Nations has declared 2015–2024 to be the International Decade for People of African Descent. In proclaiming this Decade, the international community is recognizing “that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.”

A Resolution Calling on the United Church of Christ to Adopt the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024)

Biblical, Theological And Ethical Rationale

At the outset of the creation stories, God declared that all that was made was good. Included in the goodness of creation was the creation of woman and man in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). The Imago Dei is present across many traditions which note that the equality of human kind rests on the theological premise that all people are a reflection of the Divine. The sin of racism and the disenfranchisement of individuals because of their race or skin color is antithetical to the Imago Dei.

The unity of the church continues to be threatened by racism and all forms of discrimination. The global racial divide is a threat to the unity to the church which looks to the unity that Jesus prayed for. “That they may all be one” (John 17:21) is the goal of the church is to live into the oneness that is exemplified in God’s love for all people. Racism is a challenge to the church and continues to be a dehumanizing force robbing communities of rights, freedom, and dignity.

The unity of the church is reflected in the rich diversity that is present in all of God’s people – race, gender, ethnicity, theology – all are created in the image of the Divine. It is the mission of the church to work towards equality and to ensure that the inclusive message of the Gospel is present and accessible for all people. The gospel message is a call to action on behalf of the least of these. Jesus’ ministry was a message to the margins of his day “to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” Luke 4:18.

The call to the church in this day is to bring the good news of the gospel, and to ensure that the oppressed go free. The oppression of racial justice must be addressed in all areas of society. The church has the opportunity and mandate to be present in addressing the challenges facing African Americans and all African descendant people globally. 

The ensuing years of the Transatlantic Slave Trade saw the removal of 12-15 million Africans from the continent to support the need for free labor during the Industrial Revolution in Europe. This bounty of free labor supported a plantocracy founded in imperialism and supported by the demonization of Africans and African-ness.

This arrival of African people in the Americas was undergirded by stereotypes. These stereotypes were present in naming Africans as inferior to Europeans. This vilification and stereotyping of African peoples was supported by Christianity and Christian doctrine. By utilizing the Bible, theology and the Church as instruments of oppression, white supremacy and white privilege became normative in the Americas. These instruments of racism are still present among us almost two hundred years after emancipation and over fifty years beyond the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

The United Nations stated: “In proclaiming this Decade, the international community is recognizing that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected. Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent.” These 200 million people in the Americas identified by the UN are the descendants of Africans who were kidnapped from the African continent and enslaved in the Americas.

The human rights of African descendant people globally and in the United States continue to be challenged by the presence of racism and the legacy of whiteness. A myriad of social issues are by products of the racial inequities stemming from white privilege. The numbers of incarcerated men and women of African descent in the Americas continues to grow.  Health disparities, housing education, plight of women and girls, and a myriad of interconnected issues point to the need for addressing racism and calling attention to the need to protect the human rights of African descendant people. In many countries, while African descendant people attained civil rights, the human rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly continue to be elusive.

The United Church of Christ and its predecessor bodies have been strong advocates for Civil Rights for African descendant people in the United States. The General Synod has spoken on several occasions regarding racism.