Bobert, it's a tragedy still happening all over the world, including in http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/no-charges-over-island-death/2006/12/14/1165685808319.html.

The UN site states "Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings."

In Australia, our previous conservative government wouldn't acknowledge the International Day for the Elimination of Race Descrimination. (they came to power on a decidely racist agenda. However, not wanting to be beholden to the UN, they came up with their own way of noting the day, Harmony Day, which promotes acceptance of diversity.