According to experts persons of African descent in Mexico and Central America are the poorest and most marginalised people in Latin America.
A recent conference to end racism in Santiago Chile found that "People of African descent in Central America and Mexico are among the most vulnerable, poor and excluded on the continent.
That covers black people in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama who studies show are systematically discriminated against.
The issue has made it unto the agenda of the United Nations and a representative of the High Commission on Human Rights is in Belize to help black organizations put the agenda of African people into the mainstream. He told us more.
Carlos Minott, Project Coordinator
"The conference that took place in Santiago, Chile was the basis that many said, 'Well we enter as niggers and we came out as Afro- descendants,' but it is a political term to cover entirely self identification in that sense. For first time in history Latin American governments and Caribbean governments recognize that African descendant people has been discriminated against as being affected by the trans-Atlantic slavery as being completely excluded without opportunities for social and economic development."
"Particularly in Belize and in Central America as a whole we have to give a capacity building workshops seminars because we don't come here with this program to give out money, we come to give capacity building for the community, for the afro-descendant organization."
The UN General Assmebly has named 2011 as the international year for people of African Descent…
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