At the official invitation of the United States government, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, Dr. Doudou Diene of Senegal, visited the U.S. from May 19 to June 6, 2008, to meet with government officials, non-governmental organizations, and victims of racial discrimination.

During his three-week mission, the Rapporteur visited New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, Omaha, Honolulu, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Diene met with federal and local officials, lawmakers, and judicial authorities, along with representatives from civil society organizations and victims.

According to a UN statement, the main objective of this visit was for the Rapporteur to “gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.” Upon completion of his three-week mission, and after an official debriefing meeting with the U.S. government, Mr. Diene discussed his preliminary findings, conclusions, recommendations, and opinions concerning his visit during a press conference on June 6, 2008. A formal report was submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in May 2009.

Dr. Diene’s visit to the U.S. is considered highly unprecedented. This visit was arranged by the U.S. Department of State, and was a rare official visit by the United Nations to monitor, advise, and publicly report on human rights situations in the country.

MCHR Involvement in Chicago

During his visit to Chicago, on May 23 and 24, Dr. Diene met with local officials, including Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and members of the Chicago City Council, as required by his mandate. He also met with non-governmental organizations and victims of racial discrimination who provided testimony on a variety of prevalent issues at a public hearing held at the University of Chicago.

MCHR Member, Coalition to Protect Public Housing (CPPH), was asked to host Dr. Diene by the national coordinating committee and helped to lead the organization effort in Chicago. The Midwest Coalition, and its member organizations, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and Heartland Alliance, along with individual advisor, Joey Mogul of the People’s Law Office, actively worked with CPPH on coordinating Dr. Diene's visit to the city.

The public hearing provided the Midwest Coalition and its members an opportunity to highlight trouble spots in the city, discuss community issues in a human rights framework, and promote model programs for addressing social issues. Testimony was provided on racial discrimination practices with respect to housing, homelessness and poverty, police brutality, juvenile justice, education, and Islamophobia.

In conjunction to verbal and written testimony, Dr. Diene was also given a tour of the Cabrini Green housing community and areas on the South and West Sides of Chicago.

A reception was also held to welcome Dr. Diene to Chicago at DePaul University College of Law. This event provided the public, the organizers, and the participants a chance to meet with Dr. Diene and his delegation and engage in a one-on-one discussion regarding his work, experiences, and insight on racial discrimination practices around the world.

Both of the public events enjoyed great turnout and provided the Rapporteur with the information and insight he needed from folks on the ground.

Videos from the hearing, including testimony by MCHR members and Dr. Diene’s opening remarks at the Public Hearing, are on our YouTube and Hub Channels, and on Facebook.

Related links:

Report of the Special Rapporteur on Racism (May 2009)

Chicago Police Torture Cases

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Chicago Shadow Report

By Trisha Chokshi, MCHR Staff
Updated 05/08/2009