He speak The history of slavery is one of suffering and barbarism that shows humanity at its worst.
“But it is also a history of amazing courage that shows humans at their best – starting with the slaves rise against impossible odds and open to abolitionists speak out against this heinous crime” he added.
An ‘evil business’
For more than 400 years, more than 13 million Africans have been trafficked across the Atlantic in what the Secretary-General calls “evil slave work”.
Men, women and children are “separated from their families and homelands – their communities divided, their bodies commoditized, their humanity denied.”
Slavery Memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Photo: Israa Hamad
A haunting legacy
“The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade still haunts us to this day. We can draw a line from centuries of colonial exploitation to today’s social and economic inequalities” he say.
“And we can recognize the racist tactics that are pervasive to rationalize the inhumanity of the slave trade in hate white supremacy it’s revival, he added.
Mr. Guterres stressed that everyone has a responsibility to combat the racist legacy of slavery, using The “useful weapon” of education – Topics of celebrate this year.
Unite against racism
Teaching the history of slavery, he said, can “help guard against humanity’s worst impulses”.
“By studying the assumptions and beliefs that have allowed this practice to flourish over the centuries, we expose the racism of our times” he added. “And by honoring the victims of slavery, we restore some dignity to those who were mercilessly stripped of it.”
The Secretary-General called on people everywhere to “unite against racism and work together to build a world in which everyone, everywhere can live equal lives. freedom, dignity and human rights.”
UN commemorative event
Organized by the United Nations a variety of events to celebrate International Day.
On Monday, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a meeting where Brazilian philosopher and journalist, Professor Djamila Ribeiro, will deliver a keynote speech.
Ms. Ribeiro has been using the power of education to combat discrimination against African-Brazilians, including through her best-selling book ‘Little Anti-Racist Manual’ and the documentary Her Instagram account, has amassed over a million followers.
American college student Taylor Cassidy, recognized as one of TikTok’s Top 10 Voices for Change of 2020, will speak to young people. Cassidy empowers her two million followers with uplifting videos about Black history.
On Thursday, Bryan Stevenson, Founder and CEO of the Equal Justice Initiative – a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration in the United States – will be a featured speaker. featured and was a participant in a discussion highlighting the museums’ efforts to bring in people of African descent and deal with the colonial past.
Other panelists will include the General Manager of the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, Taco Dibbits, and its Head of History, Valika Smeulders.
The 2023 celebration kicked off in late February with the opening of an interactive exhibit titled Slavery: Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery, brought to the United Nations by the museum, located in Amsterdam.
