21 years of freedom

Reblogged from ONE:

As of today, February 11 will go down in history for two very important events: the day that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power, and the day that Nelson Mandela was freed from prison.

Mr. Mandela was freed from prison 21 years ago. He served 27 years in the Robben Island prison, located offshore of Capetown, South Africa, because of his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. During his prison sentence, Mandela became a symbol of the struggle against racism.

While in prison, Mandela famously said, “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunity. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But, if need be, my Lord, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

He was elected president of South Africa in 1994 and became the country’s first black president. His work in social justice continues to be celebrated—he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his work in liberating South Africa from apartheid rule. In 1998, Congress awarded Mr. Mandela the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor for his fight against discrimination and oppression.

In honor of the 21st anniversary of Mr. Mandela’s release from prison, Rep. Waters commented, “President Mandela is an inspiration to millions of people in South Africa and around the world, and on this anniversary we honor him and the many South Africans who put their lives on the line by confronting racism and discrimination head-on.”

Mr. Mandela’s struggle against apartheid is still important today. Mr. Mandela never lost hope that all South Africans would be treated equally, and he never compromised with the apartheid government.


*The 11th of February is also the date the royal regime was overthrown in Iraq (in 1979).