The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

What is the day about?

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination originates in South Africa. It commemorates the anniversary of 69 peaceful protestors being murdered by police in Sharpeville on March 21st 1960. The protest was against the Apartheid pass laws.

The Apartheid pass laws exhibited and promoted unimaginable levels of racism. Consequently, it was used to limit, control and segregate Black and other global majority individuals. They were prohibited from moving within and past certain areas and would be charged if they did.

This awareness day commemorates those brutally killed and aims to shed light, bring awareness and show solidarity towards a global anti-racist movement.

Why was this day created?

In 1966, the United Nations brought about International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to stop racial discrimination. The day focuses on actions and activities to bring awareness and solutions for individuals most affected by racial discrimination.

The apartheid laws were abolished in 1991, and racist legislation in other nations was also abolished by this point. 

There has been a lot of progress made since that time in history. Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go. 

From our expert:

 “It’s unthinkable to think of what people have been through in this world, and it hurts most that racial discrimination has been part and parcel of people’s lives. Past, present and future. In the UK alone, according to “Stop Hate UK, racially motivated hate crimes are the highest reported hate crime in the UK. Additionally in 2021/22, racially aggravated offences had risen by 19% – 109,843 racially aggravated offences”.

This highlights why we need International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

Any form of racism is completely unacceptable, and we must continually advocate and bring awareness to educate the upcoming generations to work towards eliminating racism for good. Racial discrimination manifests due to the belief that some people are inferior and others are superior because of the colour of their skin. We must remember that we all deserve to be and feel liberated within our skin. 

Facts you should know:

•  88 Countries mark Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day
• Police brutality is the 6th leading cause for the death of Black men in America.
• Mauritania was the last country to abolish slavery in 2007.
• In 2022, Black people had 52.6 stop and searches for every 1,000 Black person in comparison with 7.5 for white, 17.5 for mixed ethnicity & 17.8 for Asian in the UK.
• You can share articles, videos and photos with International Racial Elimination Day to document your experiences of the event.
• The day creates an anti-racist environment and sparks awareness of the horrible consequences of racial discrimination.
• British Columbia was the first member state to declare the day in 1989.

Source: National Today, United Nations & GOV.UK

How workplaces can take part in this event 

Make sure you workplace marks International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in an impactful way by:

• Organising or attending training and webinars about racial equity, unconscious bias, anti-racism, and allyship.
• Learning from the Black experience and other communities that experience racism, such as Antisemitism and Islamophobia (which can apply to many communities).
• Commitment to understanding more about intersectionality and how that contributes to one’s experience. 
• Show support by being an active ally in the workplace. 
• Share your involvement with racial elimination day on social media and other communication channels.

Contact us to learn more about anti-racism training

If your organisation would like to know more about how anti-racism training can support your organisation’s anti-racism journey beyond International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, please complete the form below and a member of our team will contact you:

Sources:

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination | United Nations
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination | OHCHR
• UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Dis – Hansard – UK Parliament
• Racism in the UK – Stop Hate UK
• INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – March 21st, 2023 – National Today
• Stop and search – GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures (ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk)