[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8811-S8812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 321--HONORING THE LIFE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND LEGACY 
 OF NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA AND EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON HIS PASSING

  Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Coons, Mr. Flake, Mr. 
Menendez, Mr. Alexander, Ms. Ayotte, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. 
Baucus, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Booker, 
Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, 
Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coats, Mr. Coburn, Mr. 
Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. 
Donnelly, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Enzi, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. 
Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. 
Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Heller, Ms. Hirono, 
Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Johnson of 
Wisconsin, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Mr. Kirk, 
Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lee, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Merkley, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mr. Moran, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
Nelson, Mr. Paul, Mr. Portman, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. 
Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr.

[[Page S8812]]

Schatz, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Scott, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, 
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Udall of Colorado, 
Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. 
Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 321

       Whereas Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, as 
     Rolihlahla Mandela, to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi 
     Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela in Transkei, South Africa;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela's defiance of injustice, and his 
     commitment to peace and reconciliation, played critical roles 
     in the negotiation process that led South Africa to abolish 
     apartheid, a system of racially focused social, political, 
     and economic discrimination, and to ultimately adopt in its 
     place a system of multiparty democracy and universal suffrage 
     for all South Africans;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela became a political activist as a 
     young man and rose through the leadership ranks of the 
     African National Congress (ANC), becoming the ANC President;
       Whereas, on August 5, 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested for 
     his political activism to end the discriminatory policies of 
     apartheid;
       Whereas, despite calls for clemency on behalf of Nelson 
     Mandela by the international community, including the 
     Security Council, the General Assembly, and the Secretary 
     General of the United Nations, he was found guilty of all 
     charges against him and sentenced to life in prison;
       Whereas, during 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment on 
     Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was permitted only one visitor 
     a year, and for only 30 minutes;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela remained resolute, refusing offers 
     to renounce his struggle against the Government of South 
     Africa in exchange for his freedom, and became widely viewed 
     as a martyr for the anti-apartheid movement;
       Whereas, during his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela was 
     confined to a small cell where he slept on the floor, and he 
     was sentenced to hard labor while being gravely mistreated by 
     prison officials;
       Whereas, on February 11, 1990, under growing international 
     pressure and national campaign efforts, Nelson Mandela was 
     released from prison, marking the end of his 27 years, 6 
     months, and 1 week of continuous incarceration;
       Whereas, upon his release, Nelson Mandela resumed a top 
     leadership role in the ANC and led the party in negotiations 
     that resulted in South Africa's first multiracial elections;
       Whereas, in 1994, following the first fully representative, 
     multiracial national elections, Nelson Mandela was elected on 
     May 9 and inaugurated on May 10 as President of the 
     Democratic Republic of South Africa under a Government of 
     National Unity;
       Whereas President Nelson Mandela led the transition from 
     minority rule and apartheid to multicultural, multiracial 
     democracy, and played a critical role in initiating South 
     Africa's ongoing efforts to foster national reconciliation 
     and end the diverse, deep-rooted, and enduring social, 
     political, and economic inequalities created by apartheid;
       Whereas President Nelson Mandela sought to promote equal 
     opportunity for jobs and education, access to social 
     services, and quality-of-life improvements for all South 
     Africans;
       Whereas, during the presidency of Nelson Mandela, South 
     Africa established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to 
     investigate gross human rights violations committed under the 
     apartheid regime;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela's decision to step down after one 
     term as South Africa's elected President serves as a 
     commendable example of commitment to democratic principles 
     for elected national leaders in new democracies around the 
     globe;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela continued his social justice and 
     human rights work upon his retirement in 1999, primarily 
     through the Nelson Mandela Foundation and its two sister 
     organizations, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the 
     Mandela-Rhodes Foundation;
       Whereas, on July 18, 2007, Nelson Mandela convened the 
     Elders, a group of world leaders including Desmond Tutu, 
     Graca Machel, and former United States President Jimmy 
     Carter, to contribute their wisdom and insight towards 
     addressing some of the world's toughest problems;
       Whereas the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to 
     Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk ``for their work 
     for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for 
     laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa'';
       Whereas Congress contributed to the attainment of the 
     political ideals and goals for which Nelson Mandela 
     struggled, by enacting the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act 
     of 1986 (Public Law 99-440) on October 2, 1986, and has 
     honored Nelson Mandela by passing the Mandela Freedom 
     Resolution in the House of Representatives on September 18, 
     1984 (H. Res. 430, 98th Congress), and in the Senate on 
     October 10, 1984 (S. Res. 386, 98th Congress), by adopting 
     the resolution concerning United States support for the new 
     South Africa on October 5, 1994 (H. Res. 560, 103rd 
     Congress), and by awarding Nelson Mandela the Congressional 
     Gold Medal on July 29, 1998;
       Whereas former United States President Bill Clinton honored 
     Nelson Mandela with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal in 1993, 
     and former United States President George W. Bush honored 
     Nelson Mandela with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 
     2002;
       Whereas, on July 18 of each year, people around the world 
     celebrate Nelson Mandela Day, in recognition of Nelson 
     Mandela's birthday, by devoting their time to community 
     service in honor of his legacy;
       Whereas, in 1995, Nelson Mandela wrote: ``I have walked 
     that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have 
     made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret 
     that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there 
     are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to 
     rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds 
     me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only 
     rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, 
     and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.''; and
       Whereas Nelson Mandela leaves a legacy that transcends his 
     time and place in history, which will guide and inspire 
     generations to come: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of former 
     South African President Nelson Mandela;
       (2) extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the 
     members of the family of the late President Nelson Mandela 
     and his fellow citizens;
       (3) requests the Secretary of State to communicate these 
     expressions of honor and condolence to Nelson Mandela's 
     family and to the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa; 
     and
       (4) requests the President to identify an appropriate and 
     lasting program of the United States Government to honor 
     Nelson Mandela's legacy.

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