UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs

This Article contends that the evolving approach of the inter-American human rights system toward the human rights of Indigenous peoples and persons of African descent, including their economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights, presents a key opportunity for U.S. civil society actors to expand beyond the dominant framework of civil rights discourse and domestic litigation. At the same time, it recognizes that developments in inter-American standards present challenges for engagement with the U.S. government, which has resisted accountability for racial discrimination and rejected the recognition of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights. This Article will be particularly relevant to scholars and advocates interested in the intersection of the international human rights framework with the domestic legal, political, and social frameworks in the United States, as well as with the struggles of communities for social justice and human rights.