I listen to National Public Radio when I drive home from work most nights. Yesterday I was too busy calling my mom to talk about gift ideas and trying to decide what to make for dinner to really listen closely. It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my drive that I realized a Nelson Mandela speech had been playing the whole time. As I started to think about why it was playing, I got an email from Principal Wilbourn with a video about Mandela attached.
It only took a few seconds for me to put two and two together. Nelson Mandela was dead after 95 years on this Earth. At first I was stunned but then I had some time to think. Detroit traffic allows for a lot of time to think.
Even though it was expected, the loss of a man like Nelson Mandela still hits you hard and makes you need some time to reflect. My first interaction with Nelson Mandela was in college. I read his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, as part of a group essay in my World History course. I'll always be grateful for that experience even though group essays are a terrible idea and I had to do pretty much all of the work by myself. That book now lives in our class library.
I've always had privilege. My life was automatically easier than most just because I was born with white skin, boy parts, and with educated parents who had good jobs. But it was around this time that I was starting to figure out that my experience was one of privilege. My eyes were opening to just how much other people were suffering around the world and that I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing to fight that suffering. The experiences of Nelson Mandela and his reflections on the struggle against injustice, inequality, and inequity helped to pry those slowly opening eyes.
It only took a few seconds for me to put two and two together. Nelson Mandela was dead after 95 years on this Earth. At first I was stunned but then I had some time to think. Detroit traffic allows for a lot of time to think.
Even though it was expected, the loss of a man like Nelson Mandela still hits you hard and makes you need some time to reflect. My first interaction with Nelson Mandela was in college. I read his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, as part of a group essay in my World History course. I'll always be grateful for that experience even though group essays are a terrible idea and I had to do pretty much all of the work by myself. That book now lives in our class library.
I've always had privilege. My life was automatically easier than most just because I was born with white skin, boy parts, and with educated parents who had good jobs. But it was around this time that I was starting to figure out that my experience was one of privilege. My eyes were opening to just how much other people were suffering around the world and that I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing to fight that suffering. The experiences of Nelson Mandela and his reflections on the struggle against injustice, inequality, and inequity helped to pry those slowly opening eyes.
This isn't another 9/11 moment for me. My students should know what that means. I'll forget the day Mandela died because he was old and old people die sometimes. But it is an important opportunity to remember what made him inspiring to me and to others. To draw strength in my own fight against poverty, hopelessness, and ignorance in Detroit from Mandela's strength in fighting discrimination, hatred, and political injustice in South Africa. To remember that you can always change and make yourself better as Mandela turned away from violent acts to become a leader of peace. To know that if Mandela could survive 27 years in a hellish prison that we can overcome our own hellish landscape. We can't all be Mandela. That one figure whose legacy will last forever and who gets the recognition for making a positive change in the world. But we can all do our part. That lasts forever, too. That being said, Nelson Mandela would want you to think as well. Now is not a time to wail and make a big show of mourning him or fawning over how great he was. Now is a time to be critical about what he stood for and what we can learn from his experiences. I'd love to talk with you about Mandela but I'd also like you to have the opportunity to learn more on your own. Seek out information. Challenge yourself to learn more. And think. Always think. Some resources to help you reflect and learn more: Wikipedia - Nelson Mandela
Don't Sanitize Nelson Mandela: He's Honored Now, But Was Hated Then
Six Things Nelson Mandela Believed That Most People Won't Talk About
Nelson Mandela has passed away.
Morgan Freeman on Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela: An Audio History
Former US President Bill Clinton on Mandela
The Nelson Mandela Museum
Mandela27
"A Typical Terrorist Organization": What They Said About Mandela
Voices: Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
|