Estimates are that more than 150 million people of African descent live in Latin America. 90% live in conditions of poverty or extreme poverty. Afro-descendant peoples in the Americas share many wonderful cultural traditions, but their common experience of discrimination and poverty is nothing to celebrate.
There are many factors that contribute to the racism experienced by peoples of African descent in the Americas, including:
- Lack of recognition and legalization of land and ancestral territories
- Under-representation at political and decision-making levels
- Negative stereotypes and stigmatization in the mass media
- Lack of universal access to services related to health, education, housing, etc.
- Discrimination in the labour market
What’s Horizons Doing?
Together with our Southern partners, we support actions that promote the inclusion of Afro-descendants in Mesoamerica so that this portion of the population may be both seen and heard when it comes to public policies and programs that support a more holistic developmental process.
In 2011, together with partners in Mesoamerica, we will launch a regional project that promotes the rights of Afro-descendant populations in Mesoamerica.
