UN says US Government needs to do more for race relations

Read about how the UN feels about race relations in the US (retrieved from NEWSELA: code: AFSJGP):

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Slavery was an awful part of U.S. history. Millions of black people were taken from Africa. They were kept as slaves. They were forced to do whatever their masters wanted.

The United Nations (U.N.) helps countries work together. Not long ago, a group of U.N. officials met. They spoke with many African-Americans. They talked about how the United States can make up for slavery. They say reparations must be made to slaves' descendants. Reparations can be money, an apology or other things. 

Group Calls For Memorials To Be Built

The group said the United States should tell the truth. It should acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was terrible. The trans-Atlantic slave trade lasted for 400 years. More than 17 million Africans were taken from their homes and families. About 400,000 were brought on ships to the United States. Then they were sold as slaves and forced to work on farms called plantations. The U.N. group said that the U.S. should build memorials to honor these slaves. 

The group shared its ideas in a report. The members were upset by the way African-Americans are still treated today. Many African-Americans feel left out because of the color of their skin. They do not feel that they are treated the same. 

Reminders Of A Terrible Past

Not long ago two African-American men were killed by police. They were Michael Brown and Eric Garner. They died in different cities. Neither man had a gun or weapon. The way they died brings up the past, the group said. It reminds people of the killing of African-American men years ago. Many people were upset by the way Brown and Garner died. They feel that police should treat African-Americans fairly. Many people started saying Black Lives Matter.   

None of the people in the working group are from the United States. They learned that African-American men are much more likely to go to prison than whites. Some were shocked. The group thinks that the police sometimes target African-Americans because of their race. They said this is not fair. The group said this problem must be fixed.