Councillor Maureen Webber, Deputy Leader of the Council:
"Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is once again supporting International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, 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.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually and marks the date that the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960.
This year’s theme is “Youth standing up against racism” – events over the last 12 months have brought the issue of racial discrimination an injustice into daily conversation, and shone a light on work that still needs to be done across the world to tackle these issues.
Young people have played a key role in bringing these conversations into the mainstream, and young people will continue to be the driving force behind societal changes, which has been the case for previous generations.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination can be used as a chance for people to reflect on the fairer and more equal society we want to live in.
As a Council, we have a zero-tolerance policy to racism, and to show our support we have signed up to the Zero Racism Wales’ zero-tolerance policy to racism."
If you would like to learn more about International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, you can take part in the launch of Zero Racism Wales on 21 March at 12 noon, which will be live-streamed on their social media platforms.