Darwin Torres
Darwin Torres
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Colombia Acuerdo de Paz NGO, CEADA and Race & Equality, alongside numerous groups in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Latin America come together in solidarity to condemn the racist and derogatory treatment of Afrodescendant Vice-President Francia Márquez. Vice-President Marquez is the victim of continuous racist and classist attacks under the guise of political critique, which is entirely unacceptable.
These attitudes reflect the structural racism that translates into people of African descent living in subhuman conditions and their denial of access to education, health, housing, and employment. The consequences of racism are fatal, evident in the disproportionate levels of violence experienced by Afrodescendants at the hands of all legal and illegal armed groups and others. The attacks are also severe because they target Ms. Márquez’s gender.
We highlight the numerous incidents of racial and gendered based attacks against Ms. Márquez to urge this rhetoric and types of actions to stop. Those who perpetrate racism should be sanctioned.
We make a broad call to open a discussion about this treatment and type of attack in Colombia.
Download the full statement here.