Although it was quickly overshadowed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, the United Nation's conference on racism made a strong impression on the two Rhode Island delegates who attended the recent gathering in South Africa.

Dale Jackson, former chairman of Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), and veteran leftist anti-racism activist Bill Bateman were among the thousands who participated in the nine-day meeting at the start of September. The US and Israeli governments boycotted the conference to protest possible resolutions on slavery and Israeli-Palestinian relations.

"They couldn't face the truth," Jackson, who is black, says of the US boycott, adding that it was embarrassing when speaker after speaker criticized the American government's failure to attend. Bateman, who is white, concurs. "It's undemocratic to walk away with engagement with representatives of a majority of humanity," he says.

Jackson and Bateman believe Africans deserve compensation for the slave trade, starting with forgiveness of the continent's massive debt to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The UN conference condemned slavery, but didn't address the question of an apology or promises of reparations from developed nations.

Bateman and Jackson are less certain about another controversial issue discussed during the conference -- Israel's policies in the occupied territories. Jackson says the two parties must negotiate without the kind of shouting confrontations he saw in South Africa. Bateman believes negotiations must result in self-government for the Palestinians.

Jackson, who went thinking that racism was a distinctly American problem, was impressed by learning about the extent of racial and ethnic division around the world, particularly the discrimination suffered by the Roma, or European gypsies. He was also moved when a group of 400 South African women with AIDS marched into a workshop, while singing, to demand health-care.

Most upsetting was the South African shantytowns, which reminded Jackson of the Depression in the US. He wants to return to South Africa and start some DARE-style organizing for better living standards. Bateman, meanwhile, is arguing for a peaceful response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. This message will be promoted during a demonstration on Saturday, October 27 in Boston's Government Center. People who are interested in getting a bus ride to the protest can reach Bateman at (401) 726-2922.

Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com.

Issue Date: October 26 - November 1, 2001