African-American lobby in foreign policy

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The African-American lobby in foreign policy refers to African-American groups and individuals who lobby to influence United States foreign policy in support of Africa. [1] [ failed verification ]

Lobbying attempting to influence decisions of government officials

Lobbying, persuasion, or interest representation is the act of attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which usually involves direct, face-to-face contact, is done by many types of people, associations and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups. Lobbyists may be among a legislator's constituencies, meaning a voter or bloc of voters within their electoral district; they may engage in lobbying as a business. Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Individuals and nonprofit organizations can also lobby as an act of volunteering or as a small part of their normal job. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying that has become influential.

Contents

History

In the early twentieth century members of the African American community lobbied for foreign assistance to Liberia and Ethiopia. Following World War II, the community lobbied for increased American support for African national liberation movements. [2]

Liberia republic in West Africa

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south-southwest. It covers an area of 111,369 square kilometers (43,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 4,900,000. English is the official language, but over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, representing the numerous ethnic groups who make up more than 95% of the population. The country's capital and largest city is Monrovia.

Ethiopia Country in East Africa

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, the de facto state of Somaliland and Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa, which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The American Negro Leadership Conference on Africa (ANLCA) was founded in 1962 to support the "aspirations for freedom, human rights, and independence of the African people." The organization disbanded in 1967. [2] [3]

TransAfrica Forum

TransAfrica Forum [4] was conceived by members of the Congressional Black Caucus in September 1976 and incorporated on July 1, 1977, with the goals of increasing the number of African Americans in high-level international affairs positions, and pressuring the American government to devote more resources to African and Caribbean affairs. [5] The Forum is credited with having had a major impact on the sanctions that helped end apartheid in South Africa. [6]

Congressional Black Caucus Caucus comprising most African American members of the United States Congress

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California has chaired the caucus since 2019.

Apartheid System of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s. Apartheid was characterised by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which encouraged state repression of Black African, Coloured, and Asian South Africans for the benefit of the nation's minority white population. The economic legacy and social effects of apartheid continue to the present day.

South Africa Republic in the southernmost part of Africa

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini (Swaziland); and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho. South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and, with over 57 million people, is the world's 24th-most populous nation. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Bantu ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different African languages, nine of which have official status. The remaining population consists of Africa's largest communities of European, Asian (Indian), and multiracial (Coloured) ancestry.

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TransAfrica is an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. that seeks to influence the foreign policy of the United States concerning African and Caribbean countries and all African diaspora groups. They are a research, education, and advocacy center for activism focusing on social, economic and political conditions in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America and other parts of the African Diaspora. They are the largest and oldest social justice organization in the United States that focuses on the African world. They have served as a major research, educational, and organizing institution for the African and African Descendant communities and the U.S. public in general.

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References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-01.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) TransAfrica Forum
  2. 1 2 American Society and the African American Foreign Policy Lobby: Constraints and Opportunities, David A. Dickson, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Nov., 1996), p. 141
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-07-15.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2005-05-20.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-07-15.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ American Society and the African American Foreign Policy Lobby: Constraints and Opportunities, David A. Dickson, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Nov., 1996), p. 139
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