The United Nations Charter defended universal human rights more
clearly than any previous political document in world history.
The Charter proclaimed human rights and freedom for all without
respect to "race, sex, language or religion." Minority groups
were particularly interested in the work of UNESCO which, among
other things, studied the nature of prejudice and racism and
tried to develop programs to eradicate these evils. The U.N. also
formed a Human Rights Commission, and Afro-Americans expected
that whatever action the U.N. took to support human rights
throughout the world would also have an impact on their situation.
The first test came in 1946 when India charged South Africa with
practicing racial discrimination against Indian nationals and
their descendants who were living within South Africa. Minority
groups throughout the world eagerly waited to see what, if any-
thing, the U.N. would do. When a resolution was passed by a two-
thirds majority, charging South Africa with the violation of
human rights, and requiring it to report back on what steps had
been taken to alter the situation, religious and national
minorities were overjoyed.
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