“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies, and that any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races.”
Last General Assembly of the United Nations
Every year, worldwide, we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The United Nations General Assembly has decided that a week of solidarity with people struggling against racism and racial discrimination will occur annually, starting March 21. The 2023 theme of the International day focuses on the urgency of combating racism and racial discrimination.
Today, 75 years after the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is still necessary to remind the world to respect human beings as such, regardless of their ethnic background and the color of their skin.
21 March 1960
This date has immense significance in the fight for the elimination of racial discrimination. It is considered the beginning of the end of apartheid; everything changed after this day. However, unfortunately, we don’t remember it as a joyful day but as the anniversary of the death of sixty-nine innocent people.
Source: Baileys African History Archive
The Pass Laws during Apartheid
When the National Party took power in South Africa after the 1948 general election, they enforced apartheid. The intention was to separate races and maintain control of the country in the hands of the white minority. Who voted for the party was a small white electorate, and it was a small white minority that got to control the lives of black citizens, which were more than 80% of the population.
One of the tools used to segregate the population was the “pass laws,” which severely restricted the movements of black African citizens. They were obliged to carry a pass with them at all times, whose purpose was to limit where they could live or work, and thus control and police the number of Africans in “white” areas.
The Sharpeville Massacre
On March 21, 1960, black men, women, and children showed up at the police station in the South African town of Sharpeville. They were asking to be arrested, as they were not carrying their passes. The protest was supposed to be the beginning of a nonviolent campaign against apartheid promoted by the Pan-African movement.
Source: Baileys African History Archive
Everything went in the opposite direction when police officers opened fire and killed sixty-nine people without any warning to disperse. While the crowd was standing unarmed, chanting freedom songs and slogans, police officers came armed and followed by armored vehicles and military jets.
As the witnesses reported, for all their singing and shouting, the crowd’s mood was more festive than belligerent. Despite this, the police fired more than 700 bullets, claiming the crowd was dangerous and violent.
Source: Africa Media Online, APN36369
After the massacre
Many nightmarish days followed the massacre, and everyone who dared to speak about the matter was arrested, some of the wounded were taken by the police as soon as they left the hospital. The fear of persecution shut many mouths. Fortunately, condemnation of the massacre was unanimous, both nationally and internationally, and numerous protests across the country followed.
Source: UWC‐Robben Island Museum Mayibuye Archives
After the popular protest and massacre in Sharpeville, after the arrest of 20,000 people, the government closed another chapter in the country’s history. Nothing would change: apartheid and Afrikaner dominance would be maintained. For this reason, many members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan-African movement burned their passes. They went underground and realized that it was no longer possible to fight apartheid peacefully. It was just the beginning.
In South Africa, March 21 is now known as Human Rights Day.
