U.N. Seminar Considers the
Challenge of Global Racism
by Louise Shaw
Pastor, Eastminister Presbyterian Church, Nashville
No seminar at the UN Office is complete without
crossing 1st Avenue from the PC(USA) Office to the UN itself. Our tour
took us through the great General Assembly hall and the Security Council
chambers. National dress of vibrant colors and fabrics, multi-lingual
groups and guides are the UN norm. Artwork representing gifts from the
world were found on every level and in the public gardens that surround
the building.
Some pieces, such as Norman Rockwell's "Do
Unto Others" painting and the Russian statue of a warrior beating
a sword into a plowshare (in photo) were familiar. Others such as the
Irish rendering of an immigrant ship arriving with refugees from the
potato famine reminded us of things still to be done.
Fair Trade coffee, the dates August 31 - September
7, 2001 and Durban, South Africa are part of my vocabulary now. These
dates and topics were the focus of the PC(USA)'s UN Office sponsored
seminar "The Challenge of Global Racism."
Sixty participants from around the United States
took part in the May 16-18, 2001 event. Included among attendees were
members of the Louisville staff for World Wide and Congregational ministries
and a wide representation of presbyteries, synods, large and small churches,
social justice activists and newcomers to the PC(USA) on an international
level.
The full title for the Durban gathering is "The
World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance." This global gathering, the first to address racism
in the new century, is being sponsored by the UN's Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights on August 31 - September 7, 2001 in Durban,
South Africa.
Speaking for that office was its Deputy Director
Dr. Elsa Stamatopolou. She pointed out that those involved with the
numerous regional planning meetings are trying very hard to lay out
good avenues of communication. She identified three areas of global
concern that are producing the most tensions leading up to the Durban
gathering: compensation for slavery, the caste systems in India and
Japan and the question of racial discrimination against the Palestinians.
"If we can diffuse the tension and let people
be heard in the regional planning meetings being held," she noted,
"differences in these areas won't bring the conference to a halt."
Dr. Robert Smiley, UN Office director, reminded
us The Presbyterian Church (USA) is represented in two ways at these
global gatherings. The first is through a delegation of lay and clergy
that will attend the formal conference. The second is in its role as
one of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) that will hold a plethora
of seminars, informational sessions, workshops and media events in Durban
in the days just prior to the formal conference.
Dr. Smiley reminded those in attendance this denomination
has always been involved in global concerns. "This office is here
to bear witness to peace and justice in the world," he said. "We
are an advocate for the positions the General Assembly takes on world
issues. We are a continuing education factor as well as a monitoring
and research arm. Finally, we serve as a point of opportunity for those
whose voices aren't heard."
Included in the seminar was an introduction to
Fair Trade coffee. Julia Jones, program coordinator, pointed out that
only coffee carrying this designation is served in the office. She noted
that in its commitment to economic justice, Fair Trade coffee allows
more of the profits on the sale of the coffee bean to be returned to
the grower.
