Calling on Mayor John F. Street to establish a Commission on African and the African Diaspora Affairs to encourage the development and implementation of policies, programs, and practices which are specifically intended to improve conditions affecting the cultural, social, economic, political, educational, health and general well-being of African immigrants, refugees, and asylees residing in Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1990’s and continuing until today, several African countries underwent severe civil war and political unrest, leading to genocide or many ethnic and religious minorities as well as banished former government leaders and their families creating hundreds of thousands of refugees and political asylees; and

WHEREAS, Several international humanitarian and international faith based organizations intervened in Africa’s refugee crisis by arranging to resettle many refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sudan and Somalia to communities within the United States; and

WHEREAS, At the same time, political unrest throughout the Caribbean, especially in Haiti created an additional refugee crisis within the Western Hemisphere; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of African and Caribbean refugees have resettled in Philadelphia in recognition of its history of tolerance, freedom, personal liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as well as to be reunited with family members who may have come in through other immigrant programs;, and

WHEREAS, The current trends of African immigration is a new phenomenon and thus must address specific needs that address their experience must be recognized and validated so that policies and programs can be designed and implemented in a culturally relevant manner in respect to language, gender customs, religion, family order; and

WHEREAS, The Coalition of African Communities (AFRICOM) is a viable organization that represents the African leadership of the immigrant community here in Philadelphia and who should assist with the creation of the Commission on African and the African Diaspora Affairs; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, To call on Mayor John F. Street to establish a Commission on African and the African Diaspora Affairs to encourage the development and implementation of policies, programs, and practices which are specifically intended to improve conditions affecting the cultural, social, economic, political, educational, health and general well-being of African immigrants, refugees, and asylees residing in Philadelphia.

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