Watch LIVE 10AM: United Nations – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

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.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 75/237 of 31 December 2020, the President of the General Assembly will convene a commemorative plenary meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination on Friday, 19 March 2021, at 10:00 a.m., in the General Assembly Hall.

As per operative paragraph 42 of General Assembly resolution 75/237, the meeting will focus on the midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent.

Dr. Uzodinma Iweala, author, medical doctor, CEO of The Africa Center, and eminent person active in the struggle against racial discrimination will be invited to attend the meeting and address the Assembly on the occasion. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet Jeria will also address the commemorative meeting.

In September 2021, the United Nations General Assembly will bring together world leaders for a one day meeting in New York to mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action under the theme of “Reparations, racial justice and equality for People of African Descent.”

The United Nations General Assembly reiterates that 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. In its most recent resolution, the General Assembly also emphasized 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.

The United Nations has been concerned with this issue since its foundation and the prohibition of racial discrimination is enshrined in all core international human rights instruments. It places obligations on States and tasks them with eradicating discrimination in the public and private spheres. The principle of equality also requires States to adopt special measures to eliminate conditions that cause or help to perpetuate racial discrimination.

House hearing on rise of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans: Watch Here!

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties is holding a hearing on the discrimination and violence Asian Americans have faced both historically and since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hearing begins at 10AM ET and you can watch it here. There will be two panels of witnesses that will ‘consider ways to prevent racially motivated attacks as it examines both the historic and more recent forms of discrimination felt by Asian Americans’, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y..

Witnesses:

First Panel:

The Honorable Doris Matsui, Member of Congress
The Honorable Judy Chu, Member of Congress
The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, United States Senator
The Honorable Grace Meng, Member of Congress

Second Panel:

John C. Yang, Esq., President & Executive Director, Asian American Advancing Justice – AAJC
Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Esq., Executive Director, Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
Erika Lee, PhD., Regents Professor of History and Asian American Studies, Director, Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota
Charles Lehman, Fellow, Manhattan Institute, and Contributing Editor, City Journal
Wencong Fa, Esq., Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation
Daniel Dae Kim, Actor and Producer
Shirin Sinnar, Esq., Professor of Law & John A. Wilson Faculty Scholar, Stanford Law School
Hiroshi Motomura, Esq., Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law, Faculty Co-Director, Center for Immigration Law and Policy, UCLA School of Law

Teens, Fight for the Future Sell ‘Invisiclip’ to Counter ‘Menace of Facial Recognition’

Teens, Fight for the Future Sell ‘Invisiclip’ to Counter ‘Menace of Facial Recognition’

“The more that we learned about the dangers of facial recognition software, the more we desired to find a solution to the problem.”

by Brett Wilkins

In a bid to make anti-facial recognition technology “more discrete, more affordable, and more effective than any previous solution,” two self-described “high school scientists” have partnered with the digital rights group Fight for the Future to develop and market the Invisiclip, a small clip-on device that can easily attach to any pair of glasses or sunglasses.

“I remember reading Nineteen Eighty-Four in high school, but kids these days are living it. That’s just wrong.”
—Caitlin Seeley George,
Fight for the Future

Fight for the Future says Invisiclip—invented by high school seniors Evan Alfandre and Will McCormack—covers the wearer’s nose, is “minimally invasive,” and is effective against multiple facial recognition technologies.

McCormack told Fight for the Future that “the more that we learned about the dangers of facial recognition software, the more we desired to find a solution to the problem.”

“Initially, we just wanted to get an A on our project,” he added, “but when we realized we could really make a difference, our goals changed.”

“We found out that Fight for the Future is a leading activist group in this area,” said Alfandre, “so we connected with them in an effort to share ideas, publicize our invention, and keep people safe.”

Fight for the Future campaign director Caitlin Seeley George said that “when Will and Evan reached out to us, we were both impressed by their ingenuity, and also a little sad.”

“High school students shouldn’t have to worry about how surveillance technology is threatening their rights and their future,” she said. “I remember reading Nineteen Eighty-Four in high school, but kids these days are living it. That’s just wrong.”

Fight for the Future and the two teens produced a YouTube video to promote Invisiclip.

“Let’s face it, facial recognition is a problem,” says the video. “The United States has the most surveillance cameras per capita in the world… and lurking behind every one of those cameras is the menace of facial recognition.”

“If you have a driver’s license, a passport, or other form of government ID, in all likelihood the police have unrestricted access to your face,” the video notes, as do private companies like Clearview AI, which “scan the internet for photos of your face” and “have accumulated databases of over three billion photos.”

“We are looking to take on some of the world’s most powerful governments and reclaim our personal liberties by democratizing technology,” Alfandre says in the video.

Invisiclip is available for purchase for $25 on Fight for the Future’s online store. Glasses/sunglasses not included; results may vary.

“Partnering with Invisiclip is an opportunity to share this tool that people can use against facial recognition, and highlight why a ban on facial recognition is important for young people who don’t want a future where they’re under constant surveillance,” said Seeley George.

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Source: Teens, Fight for the Future Sell ‘Invisiclip’ to Counter ‘Menace of Facial Recognition’ | Common Dreams News