Significance
The
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed
annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69
people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the
apartheid pass laws. Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General
Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to
eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
Human Rights Day in South Africa
In
South Africa, Human Rights Day is a public holiday celebrated on 21 March each
year. The day commemorates the lives of those who died to fight for democracy
and equal human rights for all in South Africa during apartheid, an
institutionally racist system built upon racial discrimination. The Sharpeville
Massacre on 21 March 1960 is the particular reference day for this public
holiday.
Themes
Every
year the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is under
one specific theme like:
Disqualify Racism, The Role of Leaders in Combatting Racism and Racial Discrimination, Learning from tragedies to combat racial discrimination today, Racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration, Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of combating racial discrimination, Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies, Recognition, justice and development: The midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent.