Every year on March 21, the world commemorates 69 nonviolent demonstrators who were shot dead by police in Sharpeville, South Africa, on this day in 1960 while defying the country's apartheid laws. This day is known as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 1966, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in response to the needless tragedy, calling on nations to work together to do so. The year 2021's theme, "Youth standing up against racism," and the hashtag #FightRacism encouraged people to reject prejudice and intolerance of all races and to support equality.