On May 15th, the Reverend Jesse Jackson wrote to the African and Caribbean executive directors of the World Bank board on behalf of the Rainbow Push Coalition about the issue of racial discrimination at the institution. Reverend Jackson set out some of the facts about continuing discriminatory practices at the World Bank and asked: “Can the Board entrust the noble missions of championing and promoting equitable development and poverty reduction policies in Africa and the Caribbean regions to an institution that discriminates against Blacks in its own ranks?”
One week later, Dr. E. Faye Williams wrote the directors about the same issue on behalf of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
The Reverend Jackson asked that the Bank immediately take steps to address the exclusion of Blacks from the ranks of senior management, among other requests, and Dr. Williams urged the board to convene an independent, high-level commission to review the current situation regarding racial discrimination and provide recommendations for reforms.
Both letters await the response of the World Bank board.