Since its Civil War, the United States has worked to develop the proper configuration of constitutional, statutory and voluntary cooperation to transform race relations from conditions of political and economic domination by the White, landed gentry to legal and actual parity for all U.S. residents. Because the relevant laws derive from specific historical and social circumstances over a lengthy period, they have taken shape in a manner which does not directly parallel the specific articles of the Convention. Moreover, some aspects of this body of law, and of the national political structure, caused the United States to condition its adherence to the Convention on a few precisely crafted reservations, understandings and declarations. Given these facts, it is useful to preface the discussion of the specific articles with the following background information.

A.   Prohibition of Racial Discrimination

Existing U.S. Constitutional and statutory law and practice provide strong and effective protections against discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity or national origin in all fields of public endeavor and provide remedies for anyone who, despite these protections, becomes a victim of discriminatory acts or practices anywhere within the United States or subject to its jurisdiction. Especially since the landmark 1954 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, the notion of racial equality has been fundamental to the Constitutional and statutory law of the United States.

Constitutional Provisions
Federal Legislation
Federal Action and Racial Discrimination
State Anti-Discrimination Measures