Identidades in English No 1, February 2014 | Page 29
Ensuring the greatest equity possible from the gender victories won by the national and international
women’s movement
The focus on gender equity over the past few years has
been promoted by women’s organizations, governmental organizations, and international cooperative
agencies, as a way to guarantee equal opportunities for
women. This principally stems from the Program for
Women’s Action that was approved by the United Nations in 1995, which is better known as the Plan of
Action of Beijing, which was evaluated at the end of
10 years (1995-2005).
We Afro-descendant women have to demand that our
governments and international organizations apply
these accords in black communities and pay necessary
attention to black women.
Strengthening citizen participation by Afro-descendant women
We Afro-descendant women must gain positions of
power and political influence in government. In our
countries, political parties continue being the basis for
the creation of democracy and political participation;
thus, it is urgent that the participation of black women
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be promoted as candidates to popularly elected positions. Of course, they must always uphold the principles of respect and human dignity. We should participate in politics not only as passive spectators, but also
as agents in the processes of change that are taking
place.
Finally, black women will have to work hard, harder
than their counterparts. They have to push their own
agenda regarding race and gender all the while supporting the national agenda. Afro-descendants today
are not considered serious political competitors, unless they engage in a broader political debate on subjects like the economy, business and development, and
become a point of reference for other women.
Organizational empowerment and strengthening
We Black men and women should improve our abilities and increase our capacity to organize, so we can
better exert pressure on our governments and international organizations, in order to get them to fulfill their
obligation and put into practice the commitments
made at many conferences, and international agreements aimed at human development of black people,
historic reparations, and respect for human rights.