Who Is Nelson Mandela?

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Who is Nelson Mandela? Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was an influential speaker and a international icon for peacemaking. He stood for democracy, learning and equality. Faced with great opposition; He never fought racial discrimination with more racism. He devoted his life to fighting against apartheid (inequality). His life is an inspiration to anyone who has been oppressed. Every July 18th we celebrate Mandela’s legacy and continue to remember him and the great conflicts that he’s overcome. Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 in the small village of Mvezo, Transkei, which was home to the Madiba clan. (“A clan name in Africa represents a person’s ancestry and has deeper meaning than a surname” (Lee 1).) His Mother, Nonqaphi Nosekeni, …show more content…

Here he picked up the sport of boxing and track along with achieving great academic success. Nelson was raised in a high class family and was groomed to assume a position of high power. In 1939, with Nelsons royal family, he was able to attend The University of Fort Hare, which was an all-black college equivalent to Harvard or Oxford University at the time. During his second year at Fort Hare, Mandela was voted onto the Student Representative Council. Mandela’s duty was to represent the student body, but when students became upset with the food quality and lack of power of the SRC, they started protesting. Nelson joined the protests and resigned as member of the SRC. The University saw this as an act of insubordination and Nelson was expelled for the rest of the year with an ultimatum. He could return to school next year if he served on the SRC. When Nelson returned home his family was furious with his decision and he was going to be forced to return back, but after a few weeks Nelson’s adoptive father announced that he had planned a marriage for him. Nelson feeling trapped and afraid ran away with his brother to Johannesburg. It would be here that Nelson would finish his bachelor’s degree and then enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand to study …show more content…

“He helped establish the Umkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation), which launched on 16 December 1961 with a series of explosions” (Nelson Mandela Foundation 1). Nelson adopted the undercover name of David Motsamayi, using it to secretly leave the country in order to gain support for the armed struggle. “He traveled across Africa and England talking to world leaders and receiving military training in Morocco and Ethiopia” (Nelson Mandela Foundation 1). He returned to South Africa in 1962, but was arrested at a roadblock while leaving the ANC president’s home after briefing him of his trip. He was charged with leaving the country without a “legal passport and inciting workers to strike” (Nelson Mandela Foundation 1). He was convicted and sentences to 5 years of

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