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Stain on American soul a human rights issue
April 17,2023   By:China Daily

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This photo taken on Jan 19, 2023 shows the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

April 17, 2023 -- Racism in the United States is not only a "stain on its soul" but also a serious human rights issue that has sparked widespread international concern and condemnation. US politicians should face the problem and improve the human rights situation in the country.

At the second session of the so-called Summit for Democracy, the US uttered high-tone words about "enhancing everyone's rights and dignity". These slogans sharply contrast with the reality of the increasing racial discrimination and inequality in the US. US politicians point fingers at the human rights situations in other countries but they are unable or unwilling to improve the human rights situation in their own country.

In the US today, ethnic minorities risk encountering racial discrimination at any time. According to a report by CNN, which conducted interviews with over 3,000 African Americans, 82 percent of respondents believe that racism is the primary problem facing African Americans, and 79 percent said they have experienced discrimination based on race or ethnicity. The US Declaration of Independence, published in 1776, declares that "all men are created equal", but even today US society is still divided by a racial chasm.

In recent years, political polarization in the US has led to increased social division and a continuous rise in racial hate crimes, repeatedly challenging the bottom line of human civilization. In 2022, all extremist killings identified in the US were linked to right-wing extremism, with a large number of them related to white supremacy. In May of last year, the mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket shocked the world, with 10 African Americans killed. Statistics show that hate crimes based on racial bias in the US increased significantly between 2020 and 2022. An online survey by an Asian American data collaborative found that in 2021, one in six Asian Americans experienced violence based on their race. When the most important rights to life and survival are measured by skin color, where are the human rights claimed by the US?