The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Racism in the US

The international day for the elimination of racial discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960. The General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.

The 2021 theme is “Youth standing up against racism”. It engages the public through #FightRacism, which aims to foster a global culture of tolerance, equality and anti-discrimination and calls on each and every one of us to stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes. Young people massively showed their support at the 2020 Black Lives Matter marches, which drew millions of demonstrators worldwide.

COVID-19 has heavily impacted young people, including those from minority backgrounds. Many are now grappling with an increase in racial discrimination, in addition to severe disruptions to their education; diminished employment prospects; and limited ability to participate in public life, which stymies their individual and social empowerment.

Yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings. We’ve taken a short look at some Gallup articles on racism in the US.

- More than half a year after George Floyd's death during a police encounter ignited nationwide protests and discussion around racial justice, Americans' belief that race relations is the top problem facing the country remains higher than it was before those events. The percentage of U.S. adults citing race-related matters -- including race relations, racial justice and racial unrest -- rose from 4% last May, before video footage of the May 25 incident went viral, to 19% in June. It stayed high, at 16%, in July but subsequently settled into the 10% range, where it remains in Gallup's latest measure at the start of 2021.

- According to a recent research, one in four Black (24%) and Hispanic employees (24%) in the U.S. report having been discriminated against at work in the past year. Experiences of workplace discrimination are similar between Black men (27%) and Black women (23%), as well as between Black employees in households earning less than $90,000 annually (24%) and those in households earning $90,000 or more (25%).Age, however, is a significant factor in Black employees' experiences with workplace discrimination. Black workers younger than 40 (31%) are almost twice as likely as Black workers aged 40 and older (17%) to report having experienced discrimination at work in the past year. In a follow-up question among those who perceived discrimination, 75% of Black workers indicated that the discrimination they experienced was based on their race or ethnicity.

- At the same time that Americans' satisfaction with the treatment of Black people has fallen to its lowest level, more in the U.S. say Black people are treated unfairly in six everyday situations than at any point in Gallup's trends dating back to 1997. These include visiting stores and neighborhood shops, working, getting healthcare, dealing with the police, and while visiting restaurants, bars, theaters and other entertainment venues. Majorities of Black Americans think inequities occur in police dealings, when shopping at a mall, while working and when obtaining healthcare. Black adults are far more likely than White adults to say Black people are treated less fairly in each of the situations.

- According to another research, the majority of U.S. adults say relations between White and Black Americans are very or somewhat bad (55%), while less than half call them very or somewhat good (44%). Current 44% is the lowest in 20-year trend.

- Black employees in the U.S. are significantly less likely than White employees to report seeing leaders of their own race in their organization, and that appears to matter in creating a healthy corporate culture. Having leadership that represents employees' diversity matters, not only for workers' performance, but also for how they feel at work.

 Photo