CHICAGO�The U.S. and other western nations still strongly oppose placing slavery and reparations on the agenda of the UN�s upcoming World Conference Against Racism, slated for Aug. 31 to Sept. 7 in South Africa.

Activists are trying to get the word out about U.S. opposition and want Black Americans to journey to Durban, South Africa, to help make sure these issues aren�t swept aside by western pressure.

According to activists who attended a May 21-June 1 preparatory conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the "Durban Declaration"�a synthesis of regional meetings on racism around the world�was deadlocked over reparations and declaring slavery a crime against humanity. The western nations also opposed language that says the economic roots of racism need to be examined and compensation discussed at the conference. Due to the agenda deadlock, an additional preparatory meeting will be held at the United Nations July 30-Aug. 10, weeks before the conference.

In Geneva, a White House representative told 150 Blacks and whites it was ok to say the slave trade was "heinous," but the U.S. would oppose language calling the slave trade a "crime," said Dr. Conrad Worrill, of the National Black United Front. Dr. Worrill attended the Geneva meeting and offered a community update during a June 8 program at the Center for Inner City Studies.

"The United States put forward a paper to clarify their position and said that the issues of slavery, the slave trade and reparations should only be discussed in their respective countries. The paper also stated that slavery occurred so long ago, that the UN World Conference on Racism should not be held hostage to this discussion," Dr. Worrill said.

During the two-week meeting in Switzerland, the African and African Descendants Caucus, more than 200 people of African ancestry from Columbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Europe, including Norway, England, Canada, and the U.S., met for hours and affirmed that the slave trade was a crime against humanity.

"We lobbied governments, particularly the African governments, to hold firm and we�ve been successful thus far. Every day that we were there, they continued to reach stalemate on procedures and language ... They attempted to go into caucuses, have private meetings and go into their regions to negotiate, because the United States and Europe were trying to force the African Groups to withdraw their trans-Atlantic slave trade/crime against humanity position," Dr. Worrill continued.

"The U.S. position paper stated that we should look forward, not backward. Our position is, you cannot look forward, until you resolve the issues of the past. Just as Jewish people have put forth the slogan �never again,� it is even more important, we feel for African people in the world, to �never forget� what happened to us," Dr. Worrill said.

During the Geneva meeting, the Asian Regional Group also pushed discussions regarding Palestinian land, Dr. Worrill added.

Atty. Roger Wareham, of the New York-based December 12th Movement, said international politics surrounding the slave trade, slavery, reparations and Palestinian land, have become the center of controversy, and a pre-conference battle between the African World and the European World.

During a January 2001 African regional meeting for the UN racism conference, government ministers from 53 nations and African non-governmental organizations affirmed that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery and reparations should be part of the World Conference Against Racism agenda, said Atty. Wareham. The position was also affirmed during the Latin American and Caribbean meetings, held in Santiago, Chile, he added.

"We knew there needed to be a real focus on African people in this conference and we picked three issues that were common to all African people. We knew if we could get those three issues addressed, that would speak to whatever other forms of racism took in our lives. If this world conference deals with these issues, the western countries will understand that they will have to pay reparations to people of African descent," Mr. Wareham explained.

"The West won�t back down unless there are enough of us there fighting on these positions," he added, saying it was important for Black Americans to come to the conference to show their support.

"We need to be there in force for this unique opportunity that probably won�t present itself again in our lifetime, where we African people have the opportunity to place our situations front and center and heighten the demands that surround reparations and slavery," Atty. Wareham said. For more information about the World Conference Against Racism call (708) 389-9929, or (718) 398-1766.