Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. He would grow up to be perhaps
one of the greatest leaders of civil rights movements in the world. Mandela and
what he fought for can be related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Both men had
been discriminated against and imprisoned for taking action, but neither man
resorted to violence as a means to solve conflicts. Mandela is revered by
people all over the world for his determination, strength, and standing up for
what is right.
Apartheid
South Africa separated the blacks from the whites, discriminating against
blacks similar to Jim Crow laws in the southern parts of the United States.
Mandela’s father died when Nelson was young, but he grew hearing stories of
great ancestors fighting the apartheid. This is how Mandela became involved
with the fight for civil rights. He began studying law and working with the
African National Congress. Mandela then developed the ANC Youth League and
worked on more radical-based programs for the organization. He was often in and
out of imprisonment from leaving the country illegally and working against the
government with the ANC, which was banned. Mandela spent twenty-seven years in
prison, missing his mother’s and son’s funerals. One imprisonment was for
gathering protesters and workers to go on strike. He received a life sentence
after his famous “Speech from the Dock” in 1964, in which he declared, “I
have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which
all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an
ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal
for which I am prepared to die.”
After the ban on the ANC was released, Mandela was free from imprisonment.
He then won a Nobel Peace Prize, voted for the first time, and was elected the
first president of democratic South Africa. Mandela’s later life included
starting the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Nelson Mandela Foundation, and
Mandela Rhodes Foundation; writing books about himself; working with the Fifa
World Cup; meeting with the First Lady and her daughters; and spending much
time with his family (as well as in the hospital). His age caught up with him,
ending with his death on December 5, 2013. Mandela, then 95, proved to be a
true activist and voice for the victims of the discrimination in apartheid
South Africa. Not only did he never give up, but Mandela also did not resort to
violence, which happens with so many passionate people. Mandela will forever be
remembered as the face of democratic South Africa as well as racial equality
and social justice.
