An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

it. It was significant that the government of South Africa, then led by
President Thabo Mbeki, hosted the conference. With the new South Africa
having just emerged from de jure apartheid only seven years earlier, it was
essential to demonstrate the importance of ending racial discrimination.
In the opening remarks on August 31, President Mbeki declared, “Our
common humanity dictates that as we rose against apartheid racism, so
must we combine to defeat the consequences of slavery, colonialism and
racism,” which for him, “continue to define the lives of billions of people
who are brown and black, as lives of hopelessness.” 11 Mbeki knew
firsthand the ongoing consequences of apartheid, both racism and
colonialism. The official declaration published by the United Nations
referred to colonialism and Indigenous peoples, recognizing that the
conference was taking place in the “International Decade of the World’s
Indigenous People,” which “presents a unique opportunity to consider the
invaluable contributions of indigenous peoples to political, economic,
social, cultural and spiritual development throughout the world to our
societies, as well as the challenges faced by them, including racism and
racial discrimination.” 12 In addition, the declaration included language that
explored the connections between racism and colonialism, and how people
of African descent, people of Asian descent, and Indigenous peoples
suffered colonialism:
We acknowledge the suffering caused by colonialism and affirm that,
wherever and whenever it occurred, it must be condemned and its
reoccurrence prevented. We further regret that the effects and
persistence of these structures and practices have been among the
factors contributing to lasting social and economic inequalities in
many parts of the world today. 13
The relationship between colonialism and racism, and their ongoing
consequences, remain crucial for understanding Afro-Indigenous
relationships. But the work must be global. If settler colonialism is global,
and it is linked with racism—even while considering the specificity of its
operation—understanding connections with other peoples is crucial for
liberation going forward. As Black radical Angela Davis contends, “I think
movements . . . are most powerful when they begin to affect the vision and
perspective of those who do not necessarily associate themselves with those