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Nelson Mandela
A Remarkable Overview of Nelson Mandela:
At the age of sixteen, Mandela was sent to take part in a traditional initiation that was performed by the elders in his village. This traditional iniation marked the difference between being a boy and becoming a man. Mandela was accompanied by other young boys as well. They were told that they could not show any signs of feelings because that would mean that they were not entitled to represent the village. Mandela passed the test that his elders gave him. Mandela then went onto high school to obtain his high school diploma, and from there he enrolled at Fort Hare University and earned his bachelors degree. During his first year of college, Mandela was suspended for joining the Students Representative Council which protested a boycott that oppressed South Africians. He was expelled and was told that he could not return to the school, but he finished his degree by correspondence from Johannesburg. This incident marked his future as a political activist who used non -violent forms of protest as did the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mandela realized that he had the ability and the courage to fight against racism and oppression against South Africans. He believed in standing up for others who were suffering because of prejudiced laws that were being implemented to oppress all miniorties. Mandela is the world's most celebrated man who has held a political office while being jailed for nearly 30 years. Despite the fact that his freedom was stripped from him, he continued to stand up for his beliefs for his South African Brothers and Sisters who are still struggling with the affects of Apartheid.
For more information on Nelson Mandela go to your local library and look up his autobiography by Martin Merdeith. click here to link back to our index page This page is designed by Carolyn Holland - Mitchell |
