In my office hangs a very large picture of a great man, who once said “there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountain top of our desires.”

This week, headlines around the world tell us this man, who changed the course of history, is in critical condition in hospital, following a lifetime of unprecedented achievements, which began with momentous personal and public struggle.

The man I’m speaking about needs little introduction of course, because he decided not to be invisible.

As millions around the world say a prayer for Nelson Mandela and his family this week, I say with certainty, that this great man is the very definition and essence of the theme that you have chosen: Transforming the Invisible into the Visible.

This lecture series is very dear to me because I am a Caribbean national. I come from a region where African heritage and influence has shaped who I am, how I live, and what I strive to be.

My own country of Suriname is arguably one of the most ethnically diverse nations in the Americas. It is a place where Afro, Indo, Asian, Dutch and the Maroons have lived together in harmony for as long as I can remember. It is a place where historic discrimination was gradually but successfully replaced by shared experiences, joint challenges and generations living in harmony and brotherhood.

My personal encounter with discrimination toward both me and my afro brothers, occurred when we as students left the safety of our homeland, and became a part of what felt like the “unwelcome invisible.” My experience left me with the firm belief that discrimination is among the most repulsive forms of human behavior, slicing away at human dignity and hurting the very soul.

None of us in this room can say that in our lifetime, to one degree or another, we have not personally experienced or witnessed acts of discrimination. The issue is an open wound and a festering sore which has not healed. This hemisphere and the countries of the Americas were built largely on the backs of those who were considered unequal. Discrimination therefore is a deep rooted issue, and its fruit is still evident.

As UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon pointed out, we cannot continue to accept that whole communities are still discriminated against because of the color of their skin. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights -that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights- remains our mandate

Ladies and Gentlemen, last year the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a report on “The Situation of People of African Descent in the Americas.” In essence, the report confirmed that Afro descendents in this hemisphere continue to face major obstacles…and are deeply affected by the persistence of racism, multiple levels of discrimination, and the links between poverty, race and social class.

The unfortunate reality, however, is that while many countries recognize the problem, discrimination is often built into an environment and becomes structural. A fundamental overhaul in thinking, perspectives and paradigm, is sometimes required, and this in turn, requires courage and political will.

The shift in thinking, however, continues to gain momentum, as evidenced by what happened a few weeks ago at the OAS General Assembly in Antigua, Guatemala, where several member states embraced the adoption of the Inter American Convention Against Racial Discrimination.

The adoption of the Convention, however, must not remain stagnant. Our leaders and our people must go beyond agreeing to the precepts of the convention, and translate it into tangible actions by developing and implementing laws and thoughtful social policies which promote equality, opportunity and a level playing field.

Ladies and Gentlemen, both the OAS and the Inter American Commission on Human Rights have been dedicated to increasing the visibility of this issue. The Rapporteurship on the Rights of People of African Descent and Against Racial Discrimination, a mechanism that is over 8 years old, has worked to develop case law in this area. Its mandate and work, inspired by the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, focuses on access to, and equality in justice.

People like Sir Clare Roberts, Maria Silvia Guillen and now Rosemarie Belle Antoine who joined the commission last year, have demonstrated dedication and commitment, and continue to achieve results by ensuring the visibility of this issue. Working with these agencies, we must intensify our efforts to draw attention to the challenges faced by this significant percentage of our hemisphere.

Approximately 200 million people of African heritage live in the Americas. They have faced inequality, marginalization, exclusion, and social injustice. Yet, they have defied the odds, broken historic ground, and the world has benefited from their accomplishments.

I saw a prime example of this a few nights ago, when we brought together close to 300 people at the Hall of the Americas to celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month. Among us were doctors, lawyers, politicians, and one in particular, Dr Una Clarke who started off as a Jamaican student immigrant, and went on to become the first Caribbean to be elected to the New York City Council. Ladies and Gentlemen, transforming the invisible to the visible is not just possible…I see it as a movement and concept that must grow and spread.

I’m particularly pleased that the first lecture in this series features Dr. Sheila Walker, renowned African-American cultural anthropologist and filmmaker. I believe history is important because it gives us the causes us to recall our strength and gives us courage.

In closing, let me reiterate that I remain committed to keeping this issue high on the political agenda of the OAS. Although the road ahead is long, and the challenge is wide, others have gone before us to lay a foundation upon which we can build. Let us build.

I thank you.