Rest in Power Mama Winnie!

Statement on the Passing of Mama Winnie Mandela 


                                         

Dear Friend,

Earlier this morning the world lost a true freedom fighter. Winnie Madikizela Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela, passed away at the age of 81. “Mother Winnie” as she was affectionately called, continued the South African struggle for liberation, while Nelson Mandela (first black President of South Africa) was imprisoned on Robben Island. 

Mother Winnie was beaten, jailed, separated from her children, and tortured under the Apartheid Regime (white minority rule). 

Watch the motion picture starring Jennifer Hudson; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edMHVGaRPfQ  to give you an idea of what she went through, not just for the people of South Africa but for liberation movements across the world. 

When I think about the legacy of Mama Winnie, I am reminded of a quote by Frederick Douglass...”Power concedes nothing without a demand, it never did and it never will.” Mama Winnie fought courageously against white minority rule in South Africa. 

I mourn her loss today because she was truly the last of a dying breed. However, I am also hopeful about the future. As a public school teacher, my prayer is that God will continue to use me to mold and shape the next generation of courageous leaders. Rosyln Brock, former National Chair of the NAACP, once said “courage will not skip this generation.” I believe she’s right. Young people all across the country are walking out and protesting. 

As the world turns, the struggle continues. Freedom is never truly won, you earn it and win in it, in each generation. I challenge you today to do something to support freedom, justice, and equality. Even if it’s just teaching our youth about Mama Winnie, because some won’t know if we don’t tell them..

Amandla Awethu! Power to us! (Zula Language)

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