SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CORMIER SMITH: Good morning. Secretary Blinken, distinguished guests, members of the Diplomatic Corps, esteemed colleagues, friends, and our 2024 Global Anti-Racism Champions: It is my distinct honor and privilege to warmly welcome you all to the Department of State for our second annual Global Anti-Racism Champions Awards.
Today we gather to honor six remarkable civil society leaders who have shown extraordinary courage in the face of some of the world’s most pressing challenges. And while today may be the first time you are hearing their names or learning of their communities’ struggles, their dedication to the fight against racism and discrimination is making the world a safer, more peaceful place for all of us.
Their work is nothing short of inspiring and it is exactly what this moment demands. Around the world, including here in the United States, we are seeing a disturbing rise in racial and ethnic tensions. Across Europe, political groups are gaining momentum by exploiting ethnic divisions and promoting ethno-nationalism, often veiling white supremacist ideologies as efforts to protect cultural heritage and economic stability. Migrants and immigrants are increasingly being scapegoated, portrayed as threats to jobs and national identity instead of being recognized for who they really are: human beings.
Again, these events are not confined to Europe. Globally, conflicts rooted in race, ethnicity, and identity are intensifying. In Burma, we continue to witness the devastating persecution of Rohingya – a stark reminder that ethnic cleansing and racial violence are alive and well in today’s world.
In Sudan, warring parties have again engaged in targeted ethnic violence, and Rapid Support Forces have committed ethnic cleansing targeting many of the same communities that bore the brunt of the Darfur genocide over 20 years ago.
In some parts of South and Central America, indigenous peoples continue to terrorized and killed, for simply existing on the lands they have lived on and protected since time immemorial.
And in Gaza and the West Bank, where issues of ethnicity and religion have long fueled conflict, the cycle of violence continues to take its toll on the most vulnerable communities.
These conflicts exacerbate racism in ways that extend far beyond their immediate borders. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, spurred by Russia’s unwillingness to see Ukrainians as their own people, has created a humanitarian crisis in which marginalized groups face disproportionate hardships from Ukrainian Roma refugees in Europe who face segregation and substandard living conditions in reception centers, to Indian and African students in Ukraine who encountered discrimination at border crossings while trying to flee for their lives during the initial days of the full-scale invasion. And as regional violence broke out in Lebanon, we heard horrific stories of workers of African descent abandoned by employers, left without support, in an increasingly hostile environment.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a global pattern in which people belonging to marginalized racial and ethnic groups are treated as expendable or invisible. Yet, in each of these global conflicts, there are countless unsung heroes working tirelessly to serve the underserved, make the invisible visible, bring the marginalized to the center, and foster equity and justice in their communities. It is against this backdrop that we honor today’s awardees.
They serve as a beacon of hope during these bleak times. They stand courageously at the front lines of the fight against racism, and their work is a powerful testament to what can be achieved when we refuse to be passive in the face of injustice.
The leaders we honor today are not waiting for change to come. They are actively making it happen. They are the somebody Bryan Stevenson was referring to when he said, quote, “Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.” End quote.
Each of these individuals exemplifies the courage, resilience, and leadership required to confront racism and discrimination at its core. Their work demonstrates that the fight for justice is far from over, and it will take all of us working together with the fierce urgency of now to create a world where race, ethnicity, or national origin do not determine one’s worth or one’s access to basic human rights.
So, while we are here today to honor these six leaders, they really honor us with their presence, and I am grateful that they took their time away from their lifesaving work to be here with us.
With that, it is now my pleasure to give the floor to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. Good morning, everyone.
AUDIENCE: Good morning.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Let me just start by thanking the remarkable Desirée Cormier Smith for remarkable service at this department as our first-ever Special Representative for Racial Justice and Equity. Every day, Desirée, her entire team, are working to create a fair and more equal world for all of us and for generations to come. Speaking of the next generation, we’re glad you added to it yourself – as some of you know – with the most recent addition to Desirée’s family and to the State Department family.
I also want to thank Amber Greene for very skillfully carrying forward this important over these past few months.
To our friends from across the United States Government, our civil society partners, our private sector partners, thank you for joining us for the second presentation of the Secretary’s Global Anti-Racism Champions Awards. And to our six honorees, it is quite simply humbling to share this stage with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your presence today, for your extraordinary work every day, which we’ll talk about in just a couple of minutes.
When President Biden took office nearly four years ago, the United States and many other societies were experiencing a racial reckoning. Too many people here at home, too many people around the world, continue to face discrimination and violence, to be denied an education, to be denied economic opportunity simply because of how they looked or where they were from.
That’s why on his very first day in office, the President signed an executive order directing the entire federal government to advance racial equity and justice for underserved communities – people of color, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, racial minorities – at home, and also around the world. This executive order was rooted in our values, but it was also based on hard-nosed self-interest. When individuals see themselves represented in their governments, that in turn enhances their faith in democratic institutions. If every community has access to opportunity, that boosts the nation’s economic strength and its potential.
Many of the biggest challenges we face here and around the world – climate change, disease, food insecurity, conflict – hit those who are overlooked and oppressed the hardest. We know that we cannot address these issues fully and effectively without listening to, without factoring in the unique circumstances, needs, and perspectives of the most vulnerable among us.
Here at the State Department, we’ve worked hard to bring greater justice and equity to our diplomacy, working to ensure that black farmers in South Africa can access U.S. seasonal agricultural visas; partnering with indigenous youth across the Western Hemisphere to find solutions to common challenges like climate change, like the loss of indigenous heritage and language; along with Mexico and Canada, standing up the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice to pool our efforts, to share best practices, to learn from each other how to address structural inequities.
We’ve made progress. But even as we’ve made that progress, we know how much more work remains to be done. That’s true here at home, where we continue to confront our shortcomings openly and honestly as democracies do. It’s also true around the world, where we’re still striving to realize the trust and the truth enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all human beings are born free, born equal in dignity and in rights.
As we seek to realize that more just and equitable future, we have few greater partners than the civil society advocates like the courageous leaders that we honor today. So let me just say a few words about each of them. For those of you who are not familiar with the work, it truly is extraordinary.
Elvis Shakjiri, a tireless champion for North Macedonia’s Roma community, who have faced generations of racial and economic injustice and are too often denied citizenship. Elvis and his group of colleagues started Romalitico to end the Roma’s statelessness. They’ve since registered hundreds of undocumented Roma, giving them access to government services, to education, to employment opportunities.
Tomasa Yarhui Jacomé got her start in activism in politics as a unit organizer in Bolivia. She was 12 years old. She went on to become the first indigenous woman elected municipal councilor in Sucre, of Sucre, the first indigenous woman to a head a Bolivian ministry, the first indigenous woman candidate for vice president of Bolivia. In a nation where indigenous people experience disproportionate rates of poverty and unemployment, she’s worked to increase access to economic opportunity.
And with each barrier broken, she’s created space for other indigenous people to make their voices heard and to make lasting contributions to their community and their country. Thank you.
When John Leerdam went to study theater in the Netherlands, the dean told him that no Dutch theater company would hire him because he was black. Experiences like this inspired John to raise awareness about Dutch colonial history and slavery. He has directed over 70 productions on stage and screen, which he says are mostly: “black stories that needed to be told.” He served as a member of parliament for seven years.
John is now undertaking a new project – the planning of a National Slavery Museum in Amsterdam – to ensure that even more of those essential stories are told and history’s lessons are learned.
As executive director of SAVE-Ghana, Dintie Sule Tayiru promotes the inclusion of the Fulbe people, a marginalized ethnic group in Ghana. Because of this remarkable work, many Fulbe now have access to basic services like clean water; they’ve been able to register to vote for the very first time. With greater representation, they can more effectively advocate for greater access to public services.
Urmila Chaudhary has been advancing human rights and economic justice for indigenous women in Nepal for nearly two decades. Urmila was sold into domestic servitude at the age of six, before being rescued at 17. Only then was she able to learn to read and write. Urmila started a nonprofit organization that locates, frees, and empowers women and girls in situation like hers. She’s also coauthored a book to share her own experiences and raise awareness about forced labor and child slavery.
Our last honoree, Tanya Duarte, a psychologist and professor. For over 35 years, Tanya’s cared for victims of domestic and sexual violence while also strengthening the rights of Afro-Mexicans. She’s advised Mexico’s supreme court and other government institutions. She launched the Afro-Descendants Project to enable individuals of Afro descent to share their stories, to promote their human rights, recognition, and equality in Mexico and all around the world. Today, the Afro-Descendants Project has thousands of international participants.
For all of us here at the department, coming together with leaders like these is quite simply inspiring. In so many parts of the world, there are those who are unable to see the humanity in others because of their race, their ethnicity, their religion, their sexual orientation or gender. Dehumanization is what poisons our common well.
The courage of these honorees, of the causes and the communities that they represent – this is the most powerful antidote to hate, to despair, to hateful acts, to hardened hearts. And that’s why we come together today – to celebrate their extraordinary achievement. And it’s also why we have to continue the work of promoting human rights for all.
So to each of our honorees: Congratulations. But mostly: Thank you. Thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for the example that you set. Thank you for your inspiration. Congratulations. (Applause.)
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CORMIER SMITH: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I will now read the citations on the awards that the Secretary will present to each honoree.
First, Dintie Sule Tayiru, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, and leadership and commitment to inclusion and advancing the human rights of marginalized groups and combatting systemic discrimination, racism, and xenophobia, while promoting economic development and inclusive governance for Fulbe communities in the upper west region of Ghana. (Applause.) Congratulations.
Tanya Duarte, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of Afro-descendant communities in Mexico and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, gender-based violence, and other intersectional abuses, while promoting equitable access to education, justice, and political participation for Afro-Mexicans. (Applause.)
John Leerdam, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of black Dutch citizens and combatting systematic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia, while advocating for robust recognition of the lived experiences and contributions of people of African descent to Dutch society. (Applause.)
Elvis Shakjiri, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of the Roma people in North Macedonia and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia, while creating inclusion for marginalized people in local and national policies. (Applause.)
Urmila Chaudhary, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of members of marginalized castes and ethnic communities in Nepal and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and other intersectional abuses, while playing a crucial role in social justice movements to promote equitable access to economic development. (Applause.)
Tomasa Yarhui Jacomé, for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of indigenous peoples in Bolivia and combatting systemic racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and gender-based violence. (Applause.)
It is now my great honor to give the floor to Tanya Duarte from Mexico, who will offer brief remarks on behalf of this year’s awardees. If – Tanya will offer remarks in Spanish, so if you need interpretation, kindly put on your headsets and turn to channel three. (Applause.)
MS DUARTE: Good morning. Thank you so much. Welcome, everyone. Thank you to be here. Thank you so much to the Secretary Antony Blinken. thank you. And thank you to the Special Representative Desirée Cormier Smith, thank you.
(Via interpretation) Thank you to the U.S. Department of State, and thank you to all of the organizations and people involved that made this dream come true for all of us. I honor my ancestors, both male and female, the relatives from whom I inherited my bodily reality, my hair, and the voice that gives strength to my word. I honor my ancestors, both men and women, that guide my soul, built my values, and do so in the broadest of all freedoms. My heart is full of immense gratitude for the ancestry represented here today, and the ancestry of my colleagues.
Thank you so much for sharing your stories, your courage, determination with a look to the future – a look that is a melting pot of cultures in our diverse context and time, space that are models of re-evolution that make up our thinking and our understanding of who we are, what we are like, and who we want to become for our families and communities. We want a world that is inclusive, with peace and health for our communities and vulnerable groups – for the indigenous community, the Afro descendant community, persons with special abilities, and the LGBT+ community.
Even though we come from different latitudes, different continents, and we had not met before, there was already a bond that had been created among us, that just the pursuit of dignity, peace, health, education, and the well-being of our communities all around the world, but also to take care of our planet, our land, the environment, and everything in it in a sustainable manner.
We are here to give a voice to the children that are enslaved and to eradicate child pregnancies, forced marriage among women and girls, gender-based violence, and all forms of violence in this world. We are to here to raise our voices against institutional racism, constitutional and historic racism, which has been present in many of our countries. It is only through education, equity, and equality that we will embrace and create the dignity that all of us human beings deserve. Our middle name is “resilience.” We are here to give a voice to hundreds of people behind us, but also to give a voice to the future generations.
Thank you very much to my co-awardees here for your struggles, for your strength. And thank you for this award. Thank you for turning around to look at us, support us, comfort us, and strengthen our spirits and our hearts. Thank you for making us feel that all of the sacrifices we made and everything that we put in danger was worth it. This experience fills us with hope and inspiration, and it reiterates that we are not alone in our struggle. This is a huge step towards a violence-free life that is full of love and dignity for all mankind. Thank you. (Applause.)
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CORMIER SMITH: Thank you, Tanya.
Let me close by thanking, too, all of you who joined us today in person and virtually. Thank you for being here with us to celebrate and honor these truly phenomenal leaders. None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of so many behind the scenes, so I must briefly just thank them.
To our colleagues in Protocol, thank you. To the interpreters, thank you. To the cleaning staff who ensured the auditorium was spotless for you and will ensure that it is just as pristine for those who come after us, thank you. And last and certainly but not least, let me thank my phenomenal SRREJ team. You, just joyful justice warriors, you. “Thank you” can never be enough to fully express my deep gratitude for the countless hours each of you put in to make today possible. Thank you.
I want to also – (applause). And I must once again thank our honorees. I hope that today’s humble recognition of your critical work strengthens your resolve to continue to stand and speak. And I hope that the solidarity you build amongst each other, and with U.S. civil rights organizations that you meet during your time here, reminds you of just what Tanya said: that you are not alone.
Finally, I want to close with a call to action for all of you. I hope that you see yourselves in this year’s honorees, in their struggles for equality and justice. I hope that learning about their work conjures up this reminder from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that is especially apt for this moment in time, that: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly,” end quote.
Let us carry that spirit of mutuality forward as we continue our collective journey towards equality, dignity, and justice for all. Thank you. (Applause.)
