Ladies & Gentlemen:
As Americans prepare to celebrate Juneteenth holiday, I wish to bring to the attention a humanitarian crisis facing over 6000 Liberians unjustifiably denied access to humanitarian assistance and permits to work in the USA since October 1, 2002.
As the humanitarian crisis continues to ravage the lives of Liberians and this protracted problem continues to be ignored by the Governments of Liberia and the United States, within the next 24 hours, this matter will be escalated in a second court challenge hopes of securing a lasting solution to officially sanctioned racism codified on March 26, 1790 which created and continues to harm human beings because of the color of their skins.
The racist laws are no longer on the books but as seeds sown, germinated, took roots and continues to bear bitter fruits. That is why Americans don’t need to be ashamed of the past racist deeds of dead white supremacists, Just as white supremacists were bold in making laws to discriminate against Americans because of the color of their skins, Congress must pass laws that aim to mitigate ongoing harm initiated by all American racist laws. Congress has never taken any action to mitigate the harm initiated by the first American Apartheid law of March 26, 1790 that made skin color the requirement of citizenship- that law led to the colonization law of March 3, 1819 and the Indian Removal Law of May 1830-the harm continues unabated in 2021, evidenced by thousands of Liberian Refugees still at serious risks of illness and death in the deadly winter of 2021 and the global pandemic. The Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, Brown V. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Acts created new opportunities for people of color but never mitigated the harm of ongoing racial atrocities initiated by the March 26, 1790 American Apartheid Law.
Over a month ago, the Embassy of Liberia was again notified and provided with evidences of the plight of Liberian Refugees languishing across America without work permits or access to humanitarian assistance consistent with International law. A prepaid Fedex envelope was provided to help facilitate an urgent response from the Liberian Embassy. Until now, no response has come from the Liberian Embassy in Washington D.C. A document detailing the plight of the Liberian Refugees was hand delivered to the Foreign Minister in Monrovia three weeks ago with emergency local phone numbers in Monrovia and email address. Until now we have not heard from the Liberian Foreign Minister.
In November, 2020, FrontPage Africa Newspaper published my open letter to President Elect Biden. I also sent a copy of the letter to the U.S Ambassador in Monrovia urging him to help heal American Racism which created Liberia and is the source of the discrimination, endemic corruption and endless suffering of Liberians in Liberia and Liberian Refugees in the USA for the past 30 years. To his credit, President Biden, on day one of his inauguration, renewed DED-work permits for Liberians with DED. However, the Biden reprieve left thousands of vulnerable Liberian Refugees in limbo and at serious risks of illness and death in the deadly winter of 2021 that froze Texas and the global Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 600,000 Americans.
Over the past 20 years, this matter of human rights violation of protected refugees to the United Nations was referred to The Intern American Council for Human Rights, Federal Courts, the American Public and Religious institutions in America, all to no avail. Our last resort isn’t the only tool in our toolbox. While others celebrate Juneteenth, we are calling on Congress to take action and mitigate officially sanctioned racism, which, although no longer on the books, still continue to harm people in Native American Reservations, African American Communities and in the only colony created by the United States Government in partnership with high ranking American Government officials who were also white supremacists and slave owners. If these white supremacists who codified American Apartheid on March 26, 1790 had spines to commit crimes against humanity, why shouldn’t the Congress of 2021 also have spines to take action that aims to mitigate ongoing harm against generations of Americans of color and indigenous Africans suffering from the ravages of American officially sanctioned racism. The harm initiated by Congress won’t automatically go away. Racist people initiated the harm. It will take antiracist human beings to take counter action to mitigate the harm.
So this time around, I invite Americans and all people of good will to stand up for the truth and for mitigation of ongoing harm of racism against Liberians in the USA and Liberians in Liberia, Americans in Indian Reservations and people everywhere. As the harm continues to ravage lives across the United States and Liberia, I once again call on President Biden to begin healing and uniting the divided country labeled United States of America with an immediate Executive Order designating Liberia for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) Work permits. I call on Congress, the branch that passed into law the first Apartheid law in modern history to retrofit the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act by inclusion of all Liberian Refugees currently in the United States in the “Fairness Act” and extend a blanket waiver of fees for unemployed Liberians Refugees denied access to humanitarian assistance and permits to work since October 1, 2002, consistent with Section 245(i) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.
Finally, I call on all those interested in the measures outlined above to support our efforts as well as join the Free Liberia Movement (www.freeliberia.org). Thanks for your support.
Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Torli H. Krua
Founder, Universal Human Rights International & Free Liberia Movement