; Whereas government efforts of the International Decade for People of African Descent are to also promote the history and heritage of people of African descent, including through research and education, the full and accurate inclusion of their history and contributions in educational curricula, and by recognizing the victims and descendants of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, as a means of upholding their human dignity and equality and promoting societal reconciliation and healing; Whereas government efforts of the International Decade for People of African Descent are to also enable the full, equal and effective participation of people of African descent in public and political affairs; and Whereas, on December 10, 2014, Ambassador Samantha Power, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the General Assembly Special Event on the International Decade for People of African Descent stated, The United States comes to the International Decade for People of African Descent with a full and robust commitment to ensuring the rights of persons of African descent, and to combating racism and discrimination against them. : Now, therefore, be it