For Freedom, Justice and Democracy: Nelson Mandela Day

“Make every day a Mandela Day” and be involved in action that will inspire change to promote a better world for all.  Mandela himself rooted in a sense of decency, democracy and forgiveness engaged in a conversation with “the next generation” and spoke about the challenge of leadership to address the world’s social injustices when he said that “it is in your hands now.”  As a black revolutionary leader, he was imprisoned for 27 years by the racist white South African regime.  Upon his release he promoted his convictions for a just peace that moved him beyond the status quo to reconciliation. In that way, he continued his revolutionary trend of not accepting the status quo to become a person of peace with a capacity of love that enhances one another even when there are challenging disagreements.  

Enjoy renowned South African photographer Matthew Willman’s photo of Mandela’s red office chair. One day, while visiting his friend, he was inspired to ask if he could take the chair out into an open field where he had children run by it into the distance, to symbolize the impact Mandela had on the future generations of South Africa.

Mabel St. Louis, CSJ

This is Maya Angelou's poem for Madiba. "His Day is Done". Listen to her words as we celebrate the United Nations International Day of Nelson Mandela.