Anti-Racism Live came for its second edition on 21st March 2022, coinciding with the United Nations’ annual commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

By its title, the event has again brought up the discussions about anti-racism and other humanitarian issues at its core. Especially, with the ongoing Russian invasion over Ukraine, during which racial discrimination has been occurring, posed as the backdrop for this year's discussions.

Peace One Day as the event initiator and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights held this year’s Anti-Racism Live, which involved participation from many activists, leaders, and international artists in the event. 

The participants were to voice their opinion in the conversations and debates, which in this year, is based on reports regarding discrimination during the ongoing refugee crisis and the role of anti-racism in the humanitarian responses.

For the panel discussions, the event invited a wide range of relevant speakers. Among them were Dr. Bernice A. King (CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change), Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (Lawyer, Political and Women's Rights Activist), Nada Al-Nashif (Deputy High Commissioner at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), and several more. 

Aside from talks and discussions, the Anti-Racism Live -which was streamed live on Peace One Day’s website and Twitter account- also consisted of other agendas like music performance, which featured singer Jessie J performing her special song on the occasion. 

“So grateful to be asked to perform as part of the Anti-Racism Live show on 21 March, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. I was asked to sing ‘Who You Are’, but I wanted to sing a song no one had heard that I wrote 2 years ago,” said Jessie J, as quoted from the Peace One Day website.

Even more important with the Ukraine War

Before the event of Anti-Racism Live took place on March 21, the founder of Peace One Day, Jeremy Gilley, made a keynote address at SXSW on March 16, where he elaborated further about the mission and the journey so far of the non-profit organization.

After it was established in 1999, Peace One Day initiated the idea of an annual Peace Day as one special day in the calendar. The idea was later welcomed by the United Nations, who decided September 21 as 24-hours of non-violence and cease-fire. 

In his speech at 2022 SXSW, Gilley explained the organization's ongoing effort to get even more people aware of Peace Day. According to Gilley’s report, roughly 2 billion people today are already aware of it. He said the organization aims to reach 3 billion people by the end of 2025. 

He even compared the people’s awareness needed for Peace Day like any other special day in the calendar like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.    

March 21’s Anti-Racism Live is one day in the calendar designated for raising people's awareness about racism by Peace One Day. The organization has also set another four critical days in the global calendar, which are Climate Action  Live (21 June),  Peace Day Live (21 September), and 21 December (Space Transformers Live).