Yellen in a former slave port sees a path of renewal for Africa and the US

Andrea Shalal

GORI ISLAND, Senegal (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Saturday spoke of the “untold brutality” and enduring consequences of the transatlantic slave trade, but said she was encouraged by signs of progress and renewal in both the United States and Africa.

Yellen visited the House of Slaves, a fort built in the late 18th century on the island of Gori off the coast of Senegal as a staging post for people before they were sent across the Atlantic, during her trip to Africa in three countries.

The site, now a museum, often attracts high-profile American visitors, including former President Barack Obama, the first African-descended US president, who visited with his family in 2013.

“Ultimately, Gorée Island reminds us that the stories of Africa and America are intimately connected,” Yellen said after touring the island. “We know the tragedy didn’t stop with a generation of people taken from here.”

Yellen, whose work in economics has focused on redressing the historical inequalities that plagued black Americans long after slavery was abolished in 1865, said both Africa and the United States have made tremendous strides, but more work is needed to counter the brutal the consequences of slavery. trade.

Under Yellen, the U.S. Treasury created a racial equality task force that drew the ire of Republicans, and the department worked diligently to improve the economic conditions of communities of color.

It was important to tell the story of the enslaved people, which, “full of suffering, is also full of perseverance and hope,” she said, citing the important contribution of African American men and women to the US economy and democracy.

“I believe that with memory, progress and renewal can come,” Yellen said, highlighting what she called “signs of vibrant life around Goré – an outstanding arts scene, a place of learning, and the thousands of people who call this place home.”

She said the visit and the site itself doubled her commitment to “fighting for our shared values ​​and principles wherever they are threatened – in the United States, in Africa and around the world. We still have a lot of work to do.”

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Toby Chopra)

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