Anti-apartheid revolutionary and dreamer Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Mandela is not only well-known around South Africa, rather he is an example, an ambassador, a leader and a dreamer that inspires me.
According to Mandela’s foundation website, Nelson Rolihahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 to the Madiab Clan in Mvezo, Transkei. Mandela grew up to do great things to make a great difference.
What Mandela is most known for is his leadership in the effort to end apartheid in South Africa.
According to Merriam-Webster, apartheid is a former social system in South Africa in which black people and people from other racial groups did not have the same political and economic rights as white people and were forced to live separately from white people.
Mandela was a well-educated man, according to BBC History. He was educated at the University of Fort Hare and later at the University of Witwatersrand, qualifying in law in 1942.
Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC), and because of his involvement with the ANC and their planning of a coup, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison.
Mandela spent 27 years at Robben Island, and three other years on the mainland at Pollsmoor Prison. According to BBC History, during his years in prison he became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid.
In 1991, Mandela was freed from jail, and apartheid in South Africa was over. The story didn’t end there; in 2010 South Africa hosted the World Cup for soccer.
Mandela did more than anyone could have imagined. In a press conference on Dec. 5, president Obama said, “He achieved more than could be expected of any man.”
Mandela did not just change South Africa or the world, rather in my opinion, he changed the way people thought, the way people lived and the way people dreamed.
Mandela showed us all that if you are passionate about something, you cannot let anyone tell you it cannot be done.
He told us that we must love rather than hate because really, all we have is each other.
When I was researching about Mandela, his beliefs, his words, think, wonder, and smile too, about not only the good things in life but also about what we really stand for in our life.
Dr. Seuss once said, “A person’s a person, no matter how small,” and that can be attributed to Mandela.
Whether you are healthy or sick, white or black, we are all people. All we have is each other.
We must carry on Mandela’s wisdom and words. We all deserve respect and the ability to be happy.
We must appreciate one another and remember that “A person is a person, no matter how small.”