A/74/274 20. In its resolution 16/18 on combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief, the Human Rights Council expresses deep concern at the continued serious instances of derogatory stereotyping, negative profiling and stigmatization of persons based on their religion or belief, as well as programmes and agendas pursued by extremist organizations and groups aimed at creating and perpetuating negative stereotypes about religious groups, in particular when condoned by Governments. 8 D. Perceptions and misrepresentations 21. Everyday life for people of African descent is complicated by historical patterns of exploitation and exclusion that continue today in popular cul ture and social expectations. The Working Group is concerned about historical stereotyping, portrayals in the media and advertising, and offensive practices such as blackface and Black Pete (Zwarte Piet). With the rise of social media, citizen journalists and civil society have begun documenting and highlighting behaviour and “microaggressions” that violate the human rights of people of African descent and create barriers in their public engagement and daily lives. 22. The popular hashtag, #LivingWhileBlack, has become a catch-all phrase used in the United States of America to describe everyday injustices and “taxes” that inure to people because of stereotypes, perceptions and expectations relating to their skin colour. Civil society has documented instances of the police being called on black children and families for selling water outside a baseball game, mowing their lawns, hosting family barbecues in the park and knocking on doors. 23. These incidents have received widespread attention and haven been met with outrage and, sometimes, remedial action. In Philadelphia, two black men were arrested at Starbucks, a popular coffee chain, on 12 April 2018. The men were waiting for a business meeting but were accused of refusing to “make a purchase or leave”. Both men spent hours in a jail cell with no outside contact and no sense of what would happen next. They were released after midnight, when the district attorney declined to prosecute them for trespassing. 9 The incident went viral on social media, and many people noted the frequency with which Starbucks was used as a meeting place, as well as the fact that when their public bathroom was accessed by white customers it went unchallenged. Starbucks quickly issued an apology and closed all neighbourhood based stores nationwide for a day of implicit bias training within two months of the incident. 24. In a widely circulated report entitled “Under suspicion: research and consultation report on racial profiling in Ontario”, 10 the Ontario Human Rights Commission pointed to the pervasive nature of racial profiling in Canada. Some 1,500 people living in Ontario province reported experiences of being racially profiled by the police, at their workplaces, schools, hospitals, shopping malls and the airport. The report included anonymous personal stories of racial profiling. In one example, a woman of African descent stated that when she went shopping, she was regularly followed by store personnel or asked “can I help you” – not because she was being __________________ 8 9 10 19-13272 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/66/53), chap. II, sect. A. See “Black men arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks feared for their lives ”, The Guardian, 19 April 2018. Available at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/19/starbucks-black-menfeared-for-lives-philadelphia. Available at http://ohrc.on.ca/en/under-suspicion-research-and-consultation-report-racialprofiling-ontario#overlay-context=en/user. 7/22