Racism conference connects oppressed people [World Conference on Racism]

Media coverage of the recent United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, left the impression that little was accomplished due to disagreements over Israeli-Palestinian relations and reparations for slavery. Three Mennonite Central Committee U.S. staff who attended the event tell a different story.

"The conference was an incredible opportunity to learn and make connections," said Iris de Leon-Hartshorn, director of MCC U.S. Peace and Justice Ministries. "Oppressed people from all over the world were there, and they were meeting each other and finally speaking for themselves."

A forum for non-governmental organizations took place before the official August 31 to September 7 conference. The MCC staff participated in discussions on indigenous peoples, Africans and African descendents, women, immigrants and religions. They heard the stories of Dalits, India's "untouchables," and Roma (gypsies) from Europe.

Attended by representatives from over 130 countries, the pre-conference event compiled a document for government delegates at the UN conference. Michelle Armster, director of Mennonite Conciliation Services in the U.S., and Conrad Moore, co-director of the Damascus Road anti-racism program, were part of discussions on reparations for slavery.

"Most people picture reparations as African-Americans getting a cheque in the mail to make up for 400 years of slavery," Moore said. But discussions at the conference also focused on debt relief for struggling African nations and the recognition of slavery as a "crime against humanity."

Armster got a unique perspective on anti-Zionism protests during a discussion with a Hasidic Jewish rabbi.

"He and two other rabbis were there protesting Israeli policies," Armster said. "His family had lived for centuries in what is now Israel and had always maintained good relationships with their Arab neighbours."

On a panel, De Leon-Hartshorn gave an overview of racism in the Mennonite church and steps being taken to address it. Many who knew of MCC's work were surprised to meet African-American and Hispanic Mennonites.

"They would ask us, 'So, are you really Mennonite?'" Armster remembered. After the conference, the three visited MCC projects in South Africa and Zambia. In Zambia, they shared anti-racism analysis with students.

"They said they finally had a language to put to their experiences," Armster said. Moore added that the students helped him understand the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s by applying the Damascus Road analysis to conflict between Hutus and Tutsis.

"I returned with a real hunger to educate my community--people of colour in America, especially African descendants--about what people are facing all around the world," Moore said. "We are all connected, and we are not in our struggle alone."