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Upholding the Human Right of Freedom from Discrimination

We aspire to be a country that values and protects our rights, but what does that really mean?  Of course, most Americans are aware of the rights protected by our Constitution.  But fewer are aware of the human rights outlined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related treaties signed by the U.S.  Under one such treaty, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), our country has agreed to protect us all from racial discrimination and its effects, and to report its progress in doing so periodically to the United Nations CERD Committee.

The U.S. Government recently filed such a report (PDF).  At the same time, experts from around the country were invited to file their own reports on the nation's progress toward ending discrimination.  The Opportunity Agenda joined a range of researchers and social justice advocates, led by the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, to prepare one of these "shadow reports," Unequal Health Outcomes in the United States (PDF).  This report both illuminates instances where the U.S. has failed to comply with the treaty in the areas of health and health care, and suggested steps the country can take to correct this.

The Opportunity Agenda also contributed to the Health Chapter of the New York City CERD "shadow report," coordinated by the Urban Justice Center's Human Rights Project and also submitted to the U.N. CERD Committee.  The report, Race Realities in New York (PDF), details barriers to equal opportunity facing New Yorkers and what New York City and State must do to create true opportunity and equity for all New Yorkers.

After considering both the government's and advocates' reports, the UN CERD Committee noted (PDF) that the U.S. has failed to recognize and remedy certain instances in which current policies contribute to inequalities in health and in health care.  Advocates' critiques and recommendations are now part of this overall record.

The CERD experience is just another example of how advocates can harness diverse tools to bring attention to issues of opportunity in the country.  Talking about human rights domestically can give Americans a new way to think about rights, about domestic issues, and about our government's responsibilities to protect us and promote opportunity for all.