Glaring Omissions In U.S. Testimony On Racial And Ethnic Discrimination, Says ACLU

“The U.N committee reinforced something we’ve been saying all along - when it comes to human rights and racial equality, the U.S. government can't just talk the talk, but must also walk the walk," said Laleh Ispahani, Senior Policy Counsel with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. "While there is an extensive set of civil rights laws on the books, enforcement has been woefully inadequate, and there's been minimal accountability for noncompliance."

The government delegation continued to downplay the effects of widespread discrimination in this country in questioning before the committee that oversees compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, an international treaty that was ratified by the U.S. in 1994. Since its ratification, U.S. reporting on compliance has been inadequate, and this week’s hearings were no exception.