Complete Statement to the 26th Session of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent Regional Meeting with Civil Society
November 23, 2020
As President of the Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America, I submit this statement on behalf of the Lineage Restoration Movement and as a member of the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab Public E-Team for People of African Descent and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The criminal Trans-Atlantic Trafficking of People with African Lineage and Heritage consisted of a minimum of 36,000 voyages that are documented in Davis Eltis’ Trans-Atlantic Slate Trade Database.[1] At least 12.5 million people from the African continent were trafficked to the Americas and they and their descendants were dehumanized through a slave manufacturing process that resulted in the crime against humanity known as ethnocide.
As stated by the Dignity Rights Initiative of the American Bar Association, “the transatlantic slave trade intentionally worked to destroy the culture of African people but keep the people. European colonizers prevented African people from speaking their languages and practicing their religions, and they systematically severed African communal and familial bonds. The chattel slavery system of the Americas and its modern-day derivatives are a continuation of ethnocide.”[2] James W. Nickel adds, “Ethnocide is like genocide in being a means of getting rid of a group. Genocide involves the physical elimination of the group, whereas ethnocide could, in principle, leave all of the members of the group alive.”[3]
The ethnocide of the various peoples brought from the African continent to the North American colonies was state-sanctioned through laws such as the Negro Law of South Carolina (1740)[4], which legislated, among other things, that slaves were to be punished with up to twenty lashes on the bare back for gathering together with other slaves, buying, selling, dealing, bartering, or exchanging any goods, wares, provisions, grain or commodities, possessing a boat, canoe, horse, cattle, sheep, or hogs, beating drums, blowing horns or using any other loud instruments, having or wearing any sort of apparel “finer” or of greater value than Negro cloth, or reading or writing. Worse penalties, including death, were sanctioned for escaping from the plantation and or defending oneself from attack against a white man or woman. After the American revolution, federal laws continued this dehumanization and ethnocide.
While the economic damage to and condition of the victims of the criminal Trans-Atlantic Trafficking of people with African Lineage and Heritage has been well studied, identified, and calculated, less studied and understood is the damage to the identity resulting from ethnocide.
Identity locates an individual as a part of a family, a community, a region, a culture, and a historical period. On the African continent identity was and still is formed by the knowledge and preservation of one’s maternal lineage, transmitted from mother to daughter and paternal lineage, transmitted from father to son. Depending on each family’s village tradition, identity, and all that it included – language, culture, spirituality, land, and one’s place in the world and universe (history), was determined either by maternal or paternal lineage. Health and well-being, therefore, required the preservation of one’s lineage. If you did not preserve your lineage, you lost your location or place in the world.
In the same way that the criminal Trans-Atlantic Trafficking of people with African Lineage and Heritage caused severe and devastating economic damage, it also created severe and devastating LINEAGE DAMAGE. The ethnocide has resulted in an identity crisis for black people in America. In addition to the identity crisis, we are now beginning to understand the genetic damage that was done.
Scientific study has definitively proven that biopsychosocial adversity affects gene structure and function through biochemical actions on the epigene and lead to pathologic function of the specialized cells of the body creating The Transgenerational Epigenetic Effect (TTEE). Kenneth S. Nave, MD states, “Science has proven that environmental conditions shape the structure and function of highly specialized cells in key areas of the body. These changes occur in an extension or appendage to the gene known as the Epigene. The Epigene is an extension of the gene that responds to biochemical signals emanating from the environment. These signals cause changes to the gene. These epigenetic changes to the gene influence and change the cellular genetics of the cell. . . . Under certain environmental conditions, the epigenome programs or ‘reprograms’ the genetics of the cells of the limbic system which, in its most fundamental definition, is the center of all human thought, emotion, behavior, learning and, when present, psychosocial pathology. . . This environmental shaping is usually pathologic leading to physical disease, social dysfunction, and mental illness. Most significantly to the plight and social conditions of the descendants of former slaves is the scientifically proven fact that the changes to the epigene created by environmental pathology is passed down to the descendants of those initially impacted by environmental gene shaping. . . . As it relates to the cells of the brain, this cellular shaping can lead to problems with learning, memory, and mental health. As it relates to cells of the heart and cardiovascular system, these changes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. Endocrine cells genetic shaping can lead to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. . . . This environmental shaping of the gene is well confirmed and is also recognized to be transmissible at least to the fourth generation of one’s descendants and beyond. That means that any environmental hardship experienced by your ancestors and causing this genetic environmental shaping could possibly, and is probably, transferred down to you, their descendant, and likewise your progeny, for generations. This is The Transgenerational Epigenetic Effect.”[5]
Until recently, reversing the dehumanization process that resulted in ethnocide, and resolving the identity crisis of the victims of the criminal Trans-Atlantic Trafficking of people with African Lineage and Heritage was thought impossible. However, due to the advent of genetic testing through the company African Ancestry, it is possible to restore the ancestral lineages of the victims. More than 750,000 tests have already identified maternal and paternal lineages, creating the new Lineage Restoration Movement.[6] With restored identities, groups of people on both sides of the Atlantic who share the same ancestry are now reconnecting and returning to their ancestral homelands. They are creating a new model of development and Diaspora relations on the African continent that prioritizes human repair and development over economic investment. This was most evident in 2019 when Foday Conteh led a contingent of Temne and Mende descendants back to Sierra Leone where they gained citizenship[7], and in January 2020 when I myself became the first of my family, after two hundred and fifty years, to return to my ancestral homeland in Guinea Bissau and helped launch that country’s “Decade of Return Initiative”.[8]
One important implication of restoring the ancestral lineage is that it allows the victims to better utilize the Universal Human Rights Instruments, and in particular, those pertaining to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. The dehumanizing slave manufacturing process took place in controlled environments that used violence and terrorism over the course of four hundred years. To reverse engineer The Transgenerational Epigenetic Effects, it is going to require controlled environments of the opposite kind: peace, security, and most importantly, autonomy, self-determination and liberty. This can be achieved through the exercise of minority rights and self-determination under a framework of democratic pluralism in the Americas.
I invite the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to review the document, Agenda for Black America’s Restoration and Self Determination[9], to see a vision and proposal for what this looks like in the United States.
Thank you,
Siphiwe Baleka, Founder
Balanta B'urassa History & Genealogy Society in America
Senior Heritage Ambassador, Director of Research and Development Balanta
United House of Ancestry
Regional Director, North America, African Sports Ventures Group
Member, Inclusive Policy Lab of the UNESCO E-team for the People of African Descent and the Sustainable Development Goals
Member, NCOBRA
AGENDA FOR BLACK AMERICA'S RESTORATION AND SELF DETERMINATION
[1] https://www.slavevoyages.org/
[2] https://www.americanbar.org/groups/human_rights/dignity-rights-initiative/ethnocide-project/what-is-ethnocide-/#:~:text=Ethnocide%20is%20the%20destruction%20of,Nazi%20Party%20rose%20to%20power.
[3] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9833.1994.tb00350.x
[4] https://digital.scetv.org/teachingAmerhistory/pdfs/Transciptionof1740SlaveCodes.pdf
[5] Nave, Kenneth S., Competent Proof: The Legal Standing African Americans Have in the Battle for Slavery Reparations. June 2020. www.drkennave.com
[6] https://www.balanta.org/news/lineage-restoration-movement
[7] https://youtu.be/eqjt9FODYOs
[8] https://www.balanta.org/news/report-of-the-president-of-the-balanta-burassa-history-amp-genealogy-society-in-america-mission-to-guinea-bissau
[9] http://www.siphiwebaleka.com/blog/2020/10/22/agenda-for-black-american-restoration-and-self-determination
26th Session WGEPAD Chat Session
Excerpts:
08:31 AM
SPMHO Dominique Day :
Please present your statement and then we can dive into the questions more deeply. We are hoping your statements address the first question or all 3
08:33 AM
Judy L. Richards :
Greetings All! Just got in but was listening on UN TV. Honoured to be here with you all!
08:48 AM
Nyanchama Okemwa :
excellent points! Very profound!
08:49 AM
Roger Wareham :
When this is over will there be a list with the contact information of participants?
08:52 AM
Una Giltsoff (UNOG Moderator) :
Roger I think you should check with the Chair
08:53 AM
SPMHO Dominique Day :
All statements will be posted on the WGEPAD site, as well as the recording of the session. Im assuming we will also post the participant list, but I will have to confirm that.
08:53 AM
Siphiwe Baleka :
AGENDA FOR BLACK AMERICA'S RESTORATION AND SELF DETERMINATION http://www.siphiwebaleka.com/blog/2020/10/22/agenda-for-black-american-restoration-and-self-determination
08:54 AM
08:57 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
My statement has been submitted to Ms. Christina Saunders. More information related to the organizations I work with can be found at https://srdcinternational.org which will be active in two days, and http://kuumbareport.com which is active now. I will submit further comments to Ms. Saunders as needed.
08:59 AM
09:00 AM
Ade Olaiya :
Hello, I'm OK with my statement being circulated. The current and previous speakers are voicing some of the concerns I have raised.
09:00 AM
Roger Wareham :
All these presentations have been excellent
09:00 AM
M. Dido MULUMBA :
Merci de nous laisser écouter meme en anglais...
09:02 AM
Ade Olaiya :
My brief also responds to the other questions.
09:03 AM
SPMHO Dominique Day :
Here are the topics: Civil society discussion Topic A. What has been happening? What are the key human rights concerns of people of African descent in your country/region today? Have these concerns become more apparent in the last 9 months and, if so, how? In the last 5 years? In the last 20 years?
09:03 AM
SPMHO Dominique Day :
Civil society discussion Topic B. What works? a. What have been the key achievements in realizing the three objectives of the International Decade (Recognition, Justice, and Development) for people of African descent? b. In the last five years, what examples exist of relevant legislative measures, implementation of national actions plans or policies, establishment of monitoring and complaint mechanisms, awareness raising and institutional strengthening activities, research, data collection, community engagement, or other measures or activities undertaken by Member States, national human rights institutions and equality bodies, civil society, and UN agencies, funds and programmes?
09:04 AM
SPMHO Dominique Day :
Civil society discussion Topic C. What do you want to see prioritized in the next 5 years?
09:10 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
My concerns are, I think, more closely related to Question C, What do you want to see prioritized in the next 5 years. To that point, my concern about ensuring more extensive involvement of the grassroots Diaspora at OHCHR, WGEPAD and UN in general. The colonial governments have shown that they will deny the existence of racism and will resist efforts to make them address racism, and thus we will be re-hashing the crimes of the oppressors at the End Term Review. More extensive involvement of Afrikan Diaspora organizations with WGEPAD will exert pressure on the African Union which has been mired in bureaucracy as well as the oppressor countries that would prefer their misdeeds not be exposed to the world. Whoever gives full regard to the grassroots Diaspora first will be able to claim the moral high ground in the global struggle against racism.
09:13 AM
09:15 AM
Ade Olaiya :
In response to C, we need legal measures to combat Afrophobia and systemic racism being developed and implemented globally, in accordance with SDG 16
09:15 AM
Siphiwe Baleka :
Question C, What do you want to see prioritized in the next 5 years? An international effort to use genetic testing to reverse ethnocide by identifying the maternal and paternal lineages of the descendants of people taken from the African continent and brought to the Americas.
09:16 AM
09:16 AM
Modi Ntambwe :
Hello I would like to share the statement of PAD BELGIUM Observatory of human rights
09:17 AM
Saeed_Fotohi nia_Youth Against Racism :
But no one knows about the Decade and the campaign outside of the UN community...
09:17 AM
Ade Olaiya :
Establishment of the Permanent Forum and the UN Declaration for PAD needs to be completed asap. It is a year since we discussed the same in Washington and made our recommendations to the WGEPAD.
09:17 AM
Judy L. Richards :
The Permanent Afrikan Forum is key in engaging with our communities and promoting our needs. I like Michael's suggestion of a network of experts. What we experience can be different in each nation state so we need as many voices sharing information to identify potential regional and international actions.
09:18 AM
James Aiken :
I remember that Nyanchama had a powerpoint, is that supposed to be shown atm? Alternatively, could this also be sent around?
09:18 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
Yes Mama Okemwa, the issues faced by Afrikans in one area of the world are the same as those faced by us everywhere. Those who try to force us apart on the basis of a contrived difference in our experiences are ahistorical, un-factual and harmful to Black Unity and Pan-Afrikanism. Support for civil society organizations is critical!
09:18 AM
09:20 AM
Ade Olaiya :
https://en.unesco.org/inclusivepolicylab/e-teams/people-african-descent-and-sustainable-development-goals
09:20 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
I would love to be able to see Mama Okemwa's PowerPoint presentation! Can the file itself be shared so we can watch it at our convenience? Is contact information on the participants available so people can communicate with each other if desired? This could be a "shot in the arm" for building that civil society network.
09:21 AM
Saeed_Fotohi nia_Youth Against Racism :
www.youthagainstracism.com
09:21 AM
09:22 AM
Judy L. Richards :
GAC is on gacintern.com international Website, www.gacuk.org.uk and Global Afrikan Congressuk - Reparations Now! Facebook group.
09:23 AM
Nyanchama Okemwa :
Here is a link to the PPP that unfortunately did not work out during my presentation - UN WGEPAD the 26th Session of WGEPAD_November 2020.key
09:24 AM
09:28 AM
Judy L. Richards :
Our nation states need not just to collect disaggregated data but work with civil society to examine what they tell us and how we use them to work towards a better society. The uk is very good at commissioning reports but then doesn't implement their recommendations.
09:28 AM
Ade Olaiya :
merci saeed
09:28 AM
James Aiken :
Great point Judy!! Studies are vital but the UK government is far too happy to commission them, get the good optics of doing so and then ignore the recommendations entirely
09:29 AM
James Aiken :
ECHR (or another better body) needs to be given the power (and proper leadership) to enforce implementation
09:30 AM
Derrick L. Washington :
These are excellent resources, thank you. These "side meeting chats" and networking really help better connect us.
09:31 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
The point Bro. James Aiken makes about commissioning studies (for the sake of appearing responsive) that are then ignored is exactly why there must be an increased focus on what the UN itself can do, through the OHCHR and WGEPAD, to increase the pressure on these miscreant nations at the international level. More intensive involvement with on-the-ground civil society organizations so that, when the UN is mentioned at local community Town Hall Meetings, we don't get cynical comments and dirty looks, will be very important.
09:33 AM
Siphiwe Baleka :
My network of human rights defenders are complaining that we are not addressing the issue of decolonization - for example, the AfroDescendant Nation in the United States has filed a request to be put on the UN decolonization list. after two years, no response has been received.
09:34 AM
Ade Olaiya :
Good Point speaker .. No.3
09:36 AM
09:41 AM
Siphiwe Baleka :
From Cecile Johnson, Pendo Center for Human Rights and Self Determination "The working group needs to do a better job at giving access to members of civil society here in the USA. The failure to see that part of this issue is still colonization and the failure to decolonize the African Descendants here in the USA. We have filed a Declaration of Self determination on 3/18/20 and are known as African Descendant Nation but access to the UN agencies which assist us with the process to be decolonized and acceptance of our request to be added to the Decolonization list."
09:41 AM
Ade Olaiya :
Hopefully the new administration coming in will give you a voice in the UN again...
09:42 AM
Roger Wareham :
Don't bet on it.
09:43 AM
Ade Olaiya :
hahaha .. better than currently anyhow ... bon chance
09:43 AM
Modi Ntambwe :
Siphiwe absolutely right
09:43 AM
09:48 AM
Judy L. Richards :
Looking forward to seeing the written statements. I understand others will submit written statements. How do we hear what will be done with them? Will there be a summary of common and/or major issues and an opportunity for us to agree what we do about them? It would be really good to work together to address the issues. GACuk has a weekly Sunday evening anti-racist call. Colleagues join from Brazil, India, South Afrika, the Caribbean, US, Ireland and other parts of Afrika. We had a presentation yesterday by the State of the Afrikan Diaspora organisation working on the AU 6th Region, for instance. You are welcome to join. Speakers are always welcome. Contact secretarygacuk@aol.com to get e-mailed Zoom link.
09:48 AM
Judy L. Richards :
Global Afrikan Congress Family Gathering is being planned for Ghana September 2021. There may be sessions open to non Afrikans but it is essentially an Afrikan event looking at DDPA, Reparations and all other issues of concern to Afrikan people. You can register interest and get more information at gacintern.com and secretarygacuk@aol.com
09:50 AM
Ade Olaiya :
African Voices Forum is planning to host an IDPAD Summit in Bristol next year. Please contact africanvoicesforum@yahoo.co.uk
09:53 AM
Derrick L. Washington :
can you please share information about next week's public meeting?
09:53 AM
09:54 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
How can we ensure follow-up to this discussion? That has been a major issue in almost every movement I have encountered. I would like to be kept informed about how we move forward from here. cliff@kuumbareport.com
09:55 AM
Nyanchama Okemwa :
Is the information in the chat also being recorded? There are some interesting comments that I may have missed
09:55 AM
Christina Saunders (Secretary WGEPAD) :
https://ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/Pages/Session27.aspx
09:55 AM
Christina Saunders (Secretary WGEPAD) :
the link will be different for the 27th session
09:55 AM
09:57 AM
Christina Saunders (Secretary WGEPAD) :
please register for the 27th session The Urgency of Now: Systemic Racism and the lessons of 2020
09:58 AM
09:58 AM
Christina Saunders (Secretary WGEPAD) :
Regional meetings will continue tomorrow
09:58 AM
Ade Olaiya :
Merci WGEPAD .... Keep On Keeping On ...
09:58 AM
09:59 AM
Roger Wareham :
Congratulations to the Working Group for hosting this meeting and for raising the issues from the grassroots which the higher organs in the U.N. don't want to deal with. The push for the Decade and the International Year came from the WGPAD. The theme came from the WGPAD with input from the grassroots community.
09:59 AM
09:59 AM
Siphiwe Baleka :
Roger, I sent you an email.
09:59 AM
Adelle Blackett :
Important work thank you - the essence of my statement is in this op ed: https://www.justsecurity.org/71579/the-un-and-its-specialized-agencies-cannot-live-on-past-laurels-the-time-for-courageous-leadership-on-anti-black-racism-is-now/
09:59 AM
09:59 AM
Cliff_Kuumba :
Many thanks for this session and for the work that WGEPAD continues to do.