In the midst of the euphoric, if fallacious, state of a “post-racial” United States that much of the country is caught up in, the Obama administration is about to miss an opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to actually being anti-racist—working to dismantle the systemic, structural racism that continues to be foundational in our society. The administration has yet to commit to attending the Durban Review Conference, this April 20-24, in Geneva, Switzerland. The US government’s failure to attend such would be a slap in the face both to seekers of justice worldwide and to its own marginalized people.

The Review Conference will review the progress made, or not made, by the countries since the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001. A series of meetings that culminated in a landmark gathering in Durban, South Africa, the WCAR brought together government representatives, non-governmental justice advocates and observers in a process of critically examining the manifestations of systemic racism worldwide and recommending remedial procedures. The UN, non-governmental organization, and youth declarations produced from the Conference are blueprints that should be well-studied and acted upon by any jurisdiction, government or group of people serious about developing a just society.

The United States government, however, withdrew its participation from the WCAR, due to its recalcitrance against addressing reparations due for the trans-Atlantic slave trade and subsequent slavery, and against addressing the violation of Palestinian human rights. While not surprising, considering the United States’ political and economic interest in avoiding such subjects, it was, nonetheless, an insult to all those in the world who had hoped for at least surface-level US involvement in the issues. The insult was magnified by the fact that an African American, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, was one of the key people withdrawing.

Now, an African American in an even more prominent US government position seems poised to offend the world again by not committing his administration to attend the important evaluative meeting this month. Is a president who represents an advance in racial thinking in this country afraid to put said country under the light of careful inspection? Might his advisors be telling him to avoid doing anything that would be directly involved in the struggle against racial/ethnic oppression, in order to avoid upsetting the “post-racial” Camelot his court is trying to build? At what expense, to the oppressed of this country and the world, will such avoidance be carried out?

Surely, the rise in hate group recruitment, nativism and anti-immigrant hysteria—domestically and abroad—should in and of itself give the administration cause to confer with the world’s global leaders about how we need to combat the manifestations of racial/ethnic hatred. Indeed, Mr. Obama should be able to see that clearly by examining the hate activity surrounding his own success. Yet his administration still seems reluctant to engage in the conference, saying only (and a less than two weeks out) that it remains open to the possibility.

The Obama administration needs to hear from all of us who are concerned about this lack of participation in the global justice community. Please let the administration know that we as a society of conscious, justice-seeking individuals will not settle for US absence from the global anti-racist table.