'The very fact that racism degrades both the perpetrator and the victim commands that, if we are to be true to our commitment to protect human dignity, we fight on until victory is achieved.'--Nelson Mandela The odds were looking bleak a few weeks ago in terms of him being around to celebrating this birthday. He was battling a lung infection that had him on the ropes for a while, but today has dawned with him still in our plane of existence.
Today is former South African president Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday, and the world greets the news that the 1993 Nobel laureate is seeing this day with great relief.
As we celebrate his legacy, we in the United States also note that Mandela's 95th birthday is coming on the on the heels of our human rights being messed with on multiple levels by our Republican oppressors. We are also emotionally reeling as we process our reactions to an unjust court verdict in which the teen victim was put on trial and not the adult gun toting bigot who killed him.
It is also Nelson Mandela International Day , in which the global call to action goes out that celebrates and makes the point that each individual on our planet has the power to transform the world and the ability to make an impact.
The Mandela Day campaign message is a simple one. It points out that Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for social justice. It asks individuals to start with 67 minutes of their time supporting their favorite local charity or serving their community.
Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals across the planet to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr. Mandela did.
There are weeks like this one in which that seems like it will be an impossible task, but in the spirit of this day we must do our part to at least try.
Happy birthday Madiba! May you be blessed with many more.
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