International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

What Is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination?

Every March 21st is the "International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination." It commemorates the Sharpeville massacre of March 21, 1960, when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire on a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid "pass laws," killing 69 people. The event prompted the United Nations to take up the issue of racial discrimination, and the UN General Assembly proclaimed this international day in 1966. It is a day to call for the elimination of racial discrimination and for international solidarity against discrimination of every kind.

Apartheid and the Struggle Against Discrimination

This day has become a symbol of the long struggle against segregation and discrimination.

• The end of apartheid: The Sharpeville massacre became a major turning point in international condemnation of apartheid. After the long struggle of Nelson Mandela and many others, the related laws were repealed in the early 1990s, and in 1994 South Africa held elections open to people of all races.
• The anti-racial discrimination convention: In 1965, the UN General Assembly adopted the "International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination." Japan acceded to the convention in 1995.

Challenges Today

Racial discrimination is not a thing of the past; it still exists in changing forms.

• Unconscious bias: People sometimes make assumptions about others who differ from them without realizing it. The importance of noticing such "unconscious bias" has been widely discussed in recent years.
• Hate speech: Expressions that stir up hatred against people of particular ethnicities or nationalities have become a social problem. In Japan, the so-called "Hate Speech Elimination Act" took effect in 2016.

Fun Facts About This Day

• South Africa's "Human Rights Day": In South Africa, March 21st is a public holiday called "Human Rights Day."
• A week of solidarity: The week from March 21st to 27th is the UN's "Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination."
• An international year: 1971 was the UN's "International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination."
• Efforts in sports: At international soccer tournaments and elsewhere, slogans such as "Say No to Racism" are used to call for an end to discrimination.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Learn about apartheid and the Sharpeville massacre through books or documentary footage
• Reflect on whether your own words and actions contain assumptions or bias
• Listen to people from different cultural backgrounds, or explore the food and music of their cultures
• Use the day as a chance to think about whether everyone at your workplace is treated fairly

A Day to Think About Every Person's Dignity

This international day was born from a tragedy more than 60 years ago. March 21st is a day to learn that history and to think about the prejudice and discrimination that may exist close to home.