International Albinism Awareness Day

On June 13th , The celebration of the International Albinism Awareness Day seeks to amplify the voices and visibility of persons with albinism in all areas of life.

The worst expression of discrimination against persons with albinism is their dehumanization, which lays the foundation for horrifying physical attacks against them. Because some believe that they are magical beings or ghosts, they mutilate or even kill them, so their body parts can be used for witchcraft rituals. Meet the Champions of the albinism cause , who are sharing their stories in an effort to dispel these dangerous myths. If you are a person living with albinism, you can share your own story .

On December 18, 2014, the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing June 13th as International Albinism Awareness Day . This historic resolution confirmed the global focus on albinism advocacy . The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) joins with the worldwide albinism community in encouraging everyone to celebrate and promote albinism awareness on June 13th each year. The late Ambassador of the Mission of Somalia to the U.N., Geneva, Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari-Bari, led the effort to pass the resolution in cooperation with Under the Same Sun, an organization that promotes and protects the rights of people with albinism, particularly in Africa. Shortly thereafter, NOAH participated in a U.N. “side event” to celebrate the adoption of the resolution. The late Excellency Bari-Bari made opening and closing remarks at the event, which included sharing a story with Pope Francis in which he informed the Pontiff of the atrocities committ...