E/CN.4/1995/78/Add.1 page 10 twentieth century, more than 5,000 men, women and children were lynched by racist terrorist gangs. Violent race riots, the bombing of African American towns and the wholesale destruction of Black property were normal features of existence. 30. It was not until 1954 that the "separate but equal" doctrine was successfully challenged by civil rights groups and overturned by the Supreme Court. The decision that segregated schools were inherently unequal set the stage not only for the desegregation of American schools, but also set in motion a series of challenges to discrimination against African Americans and other national minorities which culminated in sweeping civil rights legislation in the 1960s. 31. The activities of national minorities fighting for equality and the changing international situation produced those changes and provided for the basic infrastructure of the domestic human rights machinery in the United States today. The changes were not easily won. Key leaders, like Malcom X and Martin Luther King, were assassinated, hundreds of others were murdered and thousands more were jailed or suffered because of their political activities. III. CONTEMPORARY FORMS AND EXPRESSIONS OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION 32. Despite the numerous laws, institutions and measures which are designed to do away with the vestiges of the past and which include the affirmative action programmes, racism and racial discrimination are still topical issues in American society. The many publications on the matter are in themselves enough proof of this. A recent book was the subject of intense debate at the time of the Special Rapporteur’s visit, on account of its racist content. The authors, Richard Herrstein and Charles Murray, 9/ attempt to prove that Blacks are genetically inferior to Whites on the basis of the disparity between the intelligence quotients of individuals in each group. They draw the conclusion that it is pointless to try and bridge the gap between the two races in the economic, social and cultural fields by affirmative action on behalf of Blacks. Again, the impressive number of non-governmental organizations and public agencies engaged in combating racism and racial discrimination is revealing. Hardly a day goes by without the race problem being brought up in the media in connection with elections or measures to be taken in one field or another. In watching the American television news, the Special Rapporteur was able to appreciate for himself that racial issues constantly came to the fore in the trial of the famous African American football player O.J. Simpson, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her lover. 33. The United States Commission on Civil Rights has itself stated: "When we look at the state of civil rights in this country today, there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism. Few would disagree with the proposition that, despite the relative gains that have been made by minorities through civil rights legislation and court intervention, race relations in this country are strained, and characterized by mistrust, fear and anger." 10/