March 21 is observed annually as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The United Nations General Assembly Proclaimed the day in 1966. Every year on this day the UN called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
This day commemorates the lives that have been lost to fight for democracy and equal human rights in South Africa during the Apartheid regime (a regime which embraced racial discrimination).
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was established six years after an event, known as the Sharpeville tragedy or Sharpeville massacre, which captured worldwide attention. This event involved police opening fire and killing 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid “pass laws” in Sharpeville, South Africa, March 21, 1960.
