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OAS Launches First Inter-American Week for People of African Descent in the Americas

The Organization of American States (OAS) today began the celebration of a week commemorating the contributions of persons of African descent to the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the Americas. The Organization will celebrate the Inter-American Week for People of African Descent in the Americas, planned to be an annual event, with a number of activities aimed at promoting greater awareness and respect for the diversity of the heritage and culture of people of African descent and their contribution to the development of societies in the Western Hemisphere.

The OAS Permanent Council will hold a special meeting on March 23, 2018, at its headquarters in Washington DC, to mark the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery under the theme, “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and struggles for freedom and equality in the Americas.”

The special meeting will include a panel discussion intended to highlight the personal stories and gains of African descendants in the movement towards freedom and equality in the Americas.

• Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights activist from the United States;
• Niger Innis, National Spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); and
• Sergio Antonio Mosquera, Associate Professor of the Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó "Diego Luís Córdoba" of Colombia.

The meeting will be broadcast – with interpretation in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese – live through the OAS website and the official OAS Facebook page.

The Organization will also host a Forum on March 22, 2018 entitled “From Africa to the Americas: Traditional Herbal Remedies of Afro-descendants.” The Forum will highlight the traditional, inter-generational remedial methods employed by people of African-descent for everyday wellness and in health care, and which have been honed and retained through practice as handed down through the ages.

Expert panelists at the forum include:

• Aura Dalia Caicedo Valencia, Director of the "AMBÚLUA" Women´s Training and Empowerment Center in Colombia
• Sergio Antonio Mosquera from Colombia;and
• Ricardo Fabrega, Regional Advisor for Integrated Health Services from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Last month, the member states adopted a Resolution declaring “around the 25^th of March each year as the Inter-American Week for People of African Descent in the Americas.”  The Resolution calls for member states to “commemorate that week with activities that promote greater understanding of the significance of slavery and the slave trade, and of their consequences for the lives of people of African descent, and that acknowledge the significant contributions of persons of African descent to the politics, economies, cultures, and societies of the region.”

WHAT: Forum “From Africa to the Americas: Traditional Herbal Remedies of Afro-Descendants”

WHEN: Thursday, March 22 at 14:00 EDT (18:00 GMT)

WHERE: Hall of the Americas
Organization of American States
17th St. & Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, D.C 20006

WHAT: Special Meeting of the Permanent Council convened under the theme “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and struggles for freedom and equality in the Americas.”

WHEN: Friday, March 23, 2018 at 10:00 EDT (14:00 GMT)

WHERE: Simon Bolivar Hall
Organization of American States
17th St. & Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, D.C 20006

Reference: AVI-032/18