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Emphasizing the extraordinary future our global connection to one another holds, Chairman Bartell queried, "The question becomes, 'Who gets included -- and who gets left behind?'"
Bartell continued to state the relevance of a planning context for making the inclusion of the African Diaspora in the 21st century a reality, and that the World Human Rights Network was interested in convening that kind of planning. He pointed to the United Nations' various reference points, specifically the reference point of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent -- and what that might mean. "We begin to look to see what nations, what countries are even willing to consider something called Diaspora Management -- what countries are interested in investing in that conversation. United States is one of those nations."
Pointing to the Office of Global Partnership created within the U.S. State Department, Bartell spoke about Amb. Nina Hachigian's recent speech to the World Affairs Council in Atlanta, and the dialogue about what global partnership might mean for non-federal stakeholders. One of the concepts being explored, per Amb. Hachigian, is the concept of sub-national diplomacy. Bartell shared that indigenous kingdoms existed all over the world and that indigenous data and cultural communication was as much data as something that comes from statistics.
In the world of data collection, Bartell asserted, the data from the African Diaspora needs to be included, and that data deserves to be communicated and distributed. "It is necessary," Bartell told participants at the Roundtable, "for people like yourselves to know you are not alone."
Bartell continued, "Today we want to introduce you to the opportunity -- to do that kind of planning -- to do that kind of looking...The offer today is to say that to you -- and get your feedback, your ideas on it, and see, are there any next steps we can commit to."
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