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International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

At Y4C, commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination means reaffirming our commitment to an education grounded in human dignity, inclusion, and social justice. This date invites us not only to preserve historical memory, but also to reflect on the persistence of racism in our societies and on the collective responsibility to combat it. From this perspective, Y4C joins this call by promoting critical awareness, respect for diversity, and the construction of fairer and more equal communities.

The killing of 69 people in 1960 marked a historic turning point and prompted the international community to work together, more firmly than ever, toward the elimination of racial discrimination. It was on 21 March 1960 when, during a peaceful demonstration against the laws and policies of apartheid in Sharpeville, South Africa, the police opened fire indiscriminately (UNESCO).

Sharpeville was seen as a model community, but in 1948, after an electoral system that favored South Africans of Dutch descent, or Afrikaners, the United National Party, which followed a strongly ultraconservative line, won the majority of political seats, even though the popular vote had not reflected the same result. In this way, the leader of this party became prime minister and began implementing laws and measures of racial segregation in order to preserve “racial supremacy” (ONVI noticias, 2026)

By May of that same year, the number of imprisonments had reached an average of 20,000 people, all of them Black, and any oppositional demonstration was kept underground. On the morning of 21 March, Sharpeville awoke to a strong call for public protest, which disrupted public transport and allowed many working people to join the demonstrators. As their numbers grew, they decided to march to the police station, singing songs of freedom and shouting campaign slogans: “Izwe lethu” (Our land), “Awaphele amapasti” (Down with passes), “Sobukwe Sikhokhele” (Lead us, Sobukwe), and “Forward to independence, tomorrow the United States of Africa” (South African History Online, 2011).

When they arrived at the town’s police station, the police were already waiting for them in front, but this did not stop the demonstrators from continuing forward with their leaders at the head, asking the white police officers to arrest them for not carrying their passes. By midday, the crowd numbered approximately 5,000 people, facing a group of 300 fully armed police officers (South African History Online, 2011).

The situation was tense, and this led to a shooting that lasted approximately two minutes, with a devastating outcome: 69 dead and around 180 seriously injured. So severe was the violence that, in some cases, the victims were shot in the back while fleeing the scene (UN News, 2026). Later, and in commemoration of what happened that day, on 26 October 1966 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In doing so, it sought to urge the international community to work with greater determination to eliminate all forms of discrimination (UNESCO).

In Decisions adopted by the Executive Board at its 214th session, UNESCO presents racism not as a merely declarative issue, but as a problem that requires institutional planning, cooperation among States, and follow-up mechanisms. In section 5.I.A, the Executive Board acknowledges that the Director-General consulted Member States in order to develop a roadmap against racism and discrimination, takes note of the indicative timetable for its implementation, urges States to continue supporting the Organization’s anti-racist initiatives, and even calls for financial contributions and experts on secondment to sustain them. It also requests a subsequent report on its implementation. From an analytical perspective, the most valuable aspect of the document is that it turns the fight against racial discrimination into an operational agenda with resources, timelines, and accountability, rather than leaving it at a purely symbolic level (UNESCO, 2022).

The most innovative contribution appears in section 5.I.B, devoted to the former Slave Route project. After a consultation process, the Executive Board approved a new wording: “The Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage” (UNESCO, 2022, p. 5). This change is especially significant because it shifts the language toward a more human and historical vision, centered on enslaved people and their capacity for resistance. The document also calls for financial and in-kind support for this project and invites Member States to allocate it a substantial budget, which indicates that, for UNESCO, the memory of slavery and the fight against racism must be supported through concrete policies and not only through discursive recognition. APA reference: UNESCO. (2022, May 13). Decisions adopted by the Executive Board at its 214th session (214 EX/Decisions). UNESCO.

Ultimately, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reminds us that racism is not only a legacy of the past, but also a reality that still requires memory, political commitment, and coordinated international action. The Sharpeville massacre transformed a local tragedy into a universal call to defend human dignity, and today organizations such as UNESCO reaffirm that this struggle must be sustained through concrete strategies, resources, and public policies. Commemorating 21 March, therefore, is not only about remembering the victims, but about assuming the collective responsibility to build societies that are more just, inclusive, and equal.

Bibliography

  • Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2026, March 19). From Sharpeville to Durban: The unfinished fight against racial discrimination.
  • ONVI noticias. (16 de March de 2026). Lo que sucedió en la masacre racista de Sharpeville. Oaxaca, México. Recuperado el 16 de March de 2026, de https://www.nvinoticias.com/comunidad/nacional/lo-que-sucedio-en-la-masacre-racista-de-sharpeville/112209
  • South African History Online. (March de 2011). Masacre de Sharpeville, 21 de marzo de 1960. Woodstock. Recuperado el 16 de March de 2026, de https://sahistory.org.za/article/sharpeville-massacre-21-march-1960?utm_source
  • South African History Online. (2021, April 6). Sharpeville Massacre, 21 March 1960.
  • UNESCO. (s.f.). Día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial. Recuperado el 16 de March de 2026, de https://www.unesco.org/es/days/racial-discrimination-elimination
  • UNESCO. (2022, May 13). Decisions adoptedby the Executive Board at its 214th session (214 EX/Decisions). UNESCO.
  • United Nations. (n.d.). International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.