We The People Politics

Today is Nelson Mandela’s birthday, and I thought it would be nice to take a look at his legacy, and what it means for race relations in the United States.  It’s tough to look at race relations, regardless of where you are, and think it’s nice to look at - frankly, it’s a problem that is as old as humanity - but when we look back at how one man stood in defiance of racism more than four decades ago, we see there is a great example to follow, and a call to action. 

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, often called “Madiba” (an honorary title given to him by clan elders) in South Africa, celebrates his 90^th birthday today. He was the first fully-represented democratically-elected President of South Africa, and was a strong opponent of the apartheid system there. He was imprisoned from 1964 to 1990 for his part in armed conflict against the South African regime in the 1960’s.  His time in prison was spend learning through correspondence with the University of London, and performing hard labor in a lime quarry. He was released in 1990, wrote his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, and was elected President in 1994. Since that time, he has won over 100 awards and honors, including a Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent work against apartheid, worked in combating HIV/AIDS and poverty, and promoted the Olympic Games. 

As I was listening to NPR this morning (Morning Edition, for my fellow NPR fans,) I heard Mandela’s speech given at his trial in 1964, crackling from age and burning with passion:

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

These few lines give credence to the necessity of equality, from South Africa to New Orleans, and the importance of keeping those ideals alive. In our own country, however, the issue of race is still a touchy subject; one that even the most intrepid of columnists are hesitant to bring up. 

Polls by Newsweek, Gallup, CNN, et al. all show that race relations are viewed differently between blacks and whites in America: white respondents felt that relations were much better than the degree to which their black cohorts responded.  This, unfortunately, leads to only one conclusion: We’ve accepted the idea of equality, but we still have not achieved it. 

For the first time in our history, these past few months have seen the most diverse group of candidates to ever compete for the highest office of our national government, and, for the first time, an African-American man is the presumptive nominee for a major political party. 

Across major news networks, the question has come up: Is America ready for a black president? Race has been brought up numerous times, from primary season to the general election campaigns, and still we ask the question: Are we ready? Are we ready to embrace the ideals described in our Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal?” Are we ready to celebrate diversity while promoting unity? Are we ready to ascribe ourselves to the vision that great men like Mandela lived? 

I am not endorsing the idea of voting for a candidate based on race, or gender, or, frankly, anything other than their qualifications to perform the duties of the office. In contrast, I entreat you to look beyond racial boundaries, beyond gender, beyond age and any factor other than the candidate’s ability to lead, and do your part to promote equality between all people. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Mandela, and thank you.