UNI Americas Regional Committee approved a declaration in support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and against racism in the United States, accompanying the context and actions that are taking place across the country, after the US police brutal murder of George Floyd. Members of the Committee support the movement that continues to achieve widespread progress on a global scale, and pledge to actively work to dismantle systemic racism, that leaves many without the right to security in their homes and in their communities.
Rocío Saenz, Vice President of UNI Americas, said: “A few weeks ago another virus reappeared in the United States: racism. In the public light, the murder of George Floyd was confirmed. The United States has not seen a crisis this bad since the 1930s. From an economic point of view there is 20% unemployment, and from a social point of view there is an explosion of protests happening across the country. People took to the streets to shout “no more” and demand “racial justice.”
In addition to the Floyd case, the recent murders of Breonna Taylor, David McAtee and Tony McDade have clearly shown the continued violence perpetrated by the police against black people and other marginalized communities in the United States. However, this racist violence does not only affect the USA but the entire hemisphere. Not even a week before George Floyd´s murder, João Pedro, age 14, was shot by police at the house of a family friend in Rio de Janeiro. His death came just after the two-year anniversary of the assassination of Marielle Franco, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, who was murdered for speaking out against police violence and extrajudicial killings perpetrated against Afro-Brazilians.
The Committee pledged to bring down racist structures in our communities, in our workplaces, and within the union movement. The Committee also stated that there will be no economic justice without racial justice, and that we can only empower workers and build a just global economy if we dismantle the structural racism that too often keeps us divided. Committee members will also continue to press for justice for victims of racist violence in the United States, in Brazil and throughout the region.
Please find the Declaration in the attached file.
