July 18, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 175 acknowledging African descendants of the transatlantic slave trade in all of the Americas with an emphasis on descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean.  The House recognized the injustices suffered by these African descendants, and recommended that the United States and the international community work to improve the situation of Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Specifically, the bill encouraged the community to promote research that focuses on identifying and eradicating racial disparities in economic, political, and social spheres; to promote programs that focus on Afro-descendant communities; to provide technical support and training to Afro-descendant advocacy groups that work to uphold basic human rights in the region; and, to promote the creation of an international working group that focuses on problems of communities of Afro-descendants in the Americas.
     New York Representative Charles B. Rangle introduced the bill on June 8, 2005.  The bill, which was co-sponsored by 45 other members of the House, was received in the Senate on July 20 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.