Abstract

Excerpted From: Tamar Ezer, Denisse Córdova Montes, Abigail Fleming, Lily Arslanian, Kristina Bergman, Jordan Brooks, Alexis Burns, Cassandra Hacker, Zoe Henderson, Estefania Hernandez, Alyssa Huffman, Photini Kamvisseli Suarez, Brianna Sanchez, Lakshmi Sanmuganathan, Gabrielle Thomas and Abigail Wettstein, Town Hall on the Sustainable Development Goals and Racial Justice in Miami–Dade County, 15 University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review 1 (Fall, 2024) (88 Footnotes) (Full Document)

In 2015, building on decades of work, the United Nations (U.N.) Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries to engage in a collaborative partnership. The agenda recognizes eradicating poverty as an “indispensable requirement for sustainable development.” It pledges that “no one will be left behind” and vows to tackle the climate crisis. The goals and targets focus on ending poverty and hunger, health and well-being, housing, gender equality, climate action, sustainable development, and ecosystem conservation amongst others and correspond with fundamental human rights.

However, “[d]espite the 2030 Agenda's promising rhetoric, it largely fails to fulfill its pledge to ‘leave no one behind’ when it comes to the principles of racial equality and non-discrimination.” As the Black Audit Project explains, “Systemic racism and racial oppression manifest in similar ways worldwide, including racial wealth gaps and economic inequity, stark health disparities, fewer educational opportunities, higher incidents of police violence, and decreased safety for Black people. Black communities often live under different conditions despite sharing the same geographical areas as other groups.” In the United States (U.S.), no state is even halfway to achieving the SDGs by 2030 for all racial groups.

By exposing these gaps, the SDGs can serve as an accountability framework guiding the collection of disaggregated data and highlighting racial inequalities. Professor Justin Hansford (Professor of Law; Director, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, Howard University School of Law), a member of the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, established in 2021 by the U.N. General Assembly to “improve the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent,” has spearheaded the Black Audit Project. This project is a multi-city initiative across the U.S., assessing progress on the SDGs for Black residents. These audits serve as a means to evaluate each city's human rights situation and are shared with the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

On March 2, 2024, the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic and Program and Environmental Justice Clinic and community partners hosted a Town Hall on Sustainable Development Goals and Racial Justice in Miami-Dade County (MDC), in collaboration with the University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review, Miami Law Human Rights Society, Freedom Lab Miami, Black Audit Project, Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity (MCARE), University of Miami Center for Global Black Studies, and Miami Law Office of Intellectual Life. This event brought together local and national advocates to discuss the fulfillment of SDGs for Black communities in MDC. The Town Hall consisted of welcome remarks and an introductory multi-issue panel, followed by five parallel roundtable discussions focused on food, housing, maternal and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and climate justice. These discussions were then followed by an art exhibit, reports on the roundtables, and concluding remarks.

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After moderating the reports from the roundtable discussions, Valencia “Vee” Gunder (Co-Director, The Smile Trust; Executive Director, The Black Collective) urged participants to remember that government is not untouchable, but rather “composed of human beings who bleed just like us.” “Government is the steward of our resources and should be answerable to communities. We give up our liberty so that we can have protection. We need to identify the gaps and ensure our government is doing the right thing. If it is not, we should get rid of it.” Gunder further expressed the need to hold the U.S. accountable for capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy.

The Town Hall concluded with remarks by Jason T. Smith (Director, Equity and Engagement, Office of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava) and Timothy Mondloch, (Editor-in-Chief, University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review). Smith confirmed support from the mayor's office for community initiatives concerning race and social justice. Smith highlighted the importance of holding town halls and engaging in challenging conversations for progress toward achieving the SDGs.

Mondloch underscored the University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review's dedication to aligning with community needs. He called for dismantling the barriers that often separate academia from grassroots movements and for the University of Miami to engage with and uplift community voices. The journal will be publishing a special symposium issue capturing discussions and reflections from the Town Hall and deepening analysis of key issues. Mondloch extended an invitation for community members to contribute their insights to this journal issue. The meeting thus concluded on a note of collaboration with support for community advocates from local government and academia.

Professor Tamar Ezer is the Acting Director of the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic.

Professor Denisse Córdova Montes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Legal Studies at the University of Central Florida and the former Acting Associate Director of the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic.

Professor Abigail Fleming is the Associate Director of the Environmental Justice Clinic.

Lily Arslanian, Kirstina Bergman, Jordan Brooks, Cassandra Hacker, Zoe Henderson, Estefania Hernandez, Photini Kamvisseli Suarez, Brianna Sanchez, Lakshmi Sanmuganathan, Gabrielle Thomas, and Abigail Wettstein are former law student interns with Human Rights Clinic. Alexis Burns and Alyssa Huffman are former law student interns with the Environmental Justice Clinic.