The Human Rights and Environmental Justice clinics had the opportunity to collaborate with the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the Black Audit Project on a racial justice assessment in Miami-Dade County. This project is part of a larger multi-city initiative examining progress on the Sustainable Development Goals for Black residents across the U.S.
The clinics delved into the racial dimensions of five critical community issues: housing, food, climate justice, gender-based violence, and maternal health. To support this effort, the clinics worked closely with local partners, conducted interviews, and held a series of town halls with county residents. This culminated in a report on The Sustainable Development Goals and Racial Justice in Miami-Dade County, and a report explicitly focused on food and racial justice, Food Justice in Miami-Dade County.
At the end of the spring semester, Human Rights Clinic fellow Gabrielle A.C. Thomas traveled to Geneva to the 3rd meeting of the U.N. Permanent Forum of People of African Descent to present the findings and recommendations from the reports. Thomas further had the opportunity to support the U.S. Member of the Forum, Professor Justice Hansford from Howard University School of Law, in meeting deliberations and helped him finalize formal recommendations to the U.N. General Assembly.
“I had the honor of meeting and having fruitful conversations about Black development, education, health, reparations, liberation, and solutions with state and civil society representatives of African descent from around the globe,” said Thomas. “It was powerful hearing testimonies from people of all ages and getting to meet young activists from around the world.”
Thomas found participation in this event both professionally and personally rewarding.
“As a Jamaican born and raised, third year law student with roots from Barbados, Jamaica, and West Africa, being a part of a Pan-African coalition has been my dream since I was a child. I want to thank the University of Miami School of Law and Professors Denisse Córdova Montes, Tamar Ezer, and Justin Hansford for providing me with this life-changing opportunity to advocate for people of African descent and connect with others doing incredible advocacy work.”
The establishment of the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent by the U.N. General Assembly in 2021 recognizes the need for global collaboration to improve the safety and quality of life of people of African descent. However, it is only a first step. Thomas looks forward to “next steps for people of African descent globally to finally realize the human rights they have been denied for centuries.”
The young U.N. Forum has many plans to take this forward. It is considering a treaty focused on the human rights of people of African descent, coordinating a student group for colleges across the African diaspora, developing model curricula for schools to use and adapt, and establishing a tribunal for reparations to address historical injustice.
Read more about Miami Law’s clinics.
