RantCrush Top 5: March 23, 2017

Every year, the African Global Economic and Development Summit takes place at the University of Southern California. At the summit, attendees discuss sustainable development in Africa, how to increase the use of renewable energy, and how to tackle climate change. The forum also aims to encourage businesses to invest in Africa. So you’d think it would be important for actual representatives from various African countries to attend. But this year, all the delegates were denied visas and couldn’t attend.

“Usually we get 40 percent that get rejected, but the others come. This year it was 100 percent. Every delegation,” said Mary Flowers, who chairs the summit. She said that the delegates had applied for visas months in advance, but were suddenly called for embassy interviews in the days before they were supposed to travel. She believes this was a discrimination issue and pointed out that the representatives were all legitimate business people.

The annual African Global Economic & Development Summit will have no African delegates present.

All were denied visas to enter the U.S. pic.twitter.com/WGgm4OGgxr

— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 20, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.