This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (today, March 21) celebrates the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a human rights treaty the United States has ratified along with 181 other nations.
U.S. compliance with the treaty has always been a mixed bag. But in many countries, the ICERD has served as a guiding force for substantial progress. As nations reflect on the progress that has been made toward racial justice and equality since the adoption of the ICERD, it is a painful reality that, here at home, much of that progress is currently under attack.
As an organization devoted to racial justice, the Southern Poverty Law Center has long been part of the fight to attain equal voting rights and representation, to decriminalize and decarcerate Black and Brown people, to eradicate poverty and combat white supremacy. Great successes in advancing rights have been achieved over the years, in the U.S. and around the world. Game-changing laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as groundbreaking court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, knocked down barriers in the U.S. Also, apartheid fell in South Africa. At the United Nations, countries came together to build a vital international framework for fighting racism.
But white supremacy is now resurgent — even gaining power in our federal government. Civil rights successes are in danger of being destroyed.
At such a time as this, we must not lose hope, and we must not look away. Only through determined and concerted collective action can we once again overcome those who would divide us on the basis of race.
Don’t believe people who claim there’s a mandate supporting the ongoing destruction of democratic institutions, especially those with a mission to uphold racial justice and equality.
Instead:
- Band together to demand justice and equality.
- Reach out to those who didn’t make their voices heard in 2024 (nearly 86 million eligible voters didn’t cast a ballot).
- Work to let them know they are needed, and to ensure they have the opportunity to speak up.
Our hope is in our collective strength. Apathy is not an option. The SPLC offers resources to help you join in the fight. Visit Together We Fight to get started.
Lisa Borden is the senior policy counsel for international advocacy at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Image at top: Photo illustration by the SPLC.