[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to S. Res. 321.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 321) honoring the life, 
     accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and 
     expressing condolences on his passing.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, last week the world lost a true hero 
with the passing of Nelson Mandela. His determined and courageous 
advocacy helped end South Africa's disgraceful system of apartheid, 
while his enlightened leadership set an example for national 
reconciliation.
  Apartheid was a policy of hate. It was a severe form of segregation 
that denied the non-White population their basic human rights. Millions 
of non-Whites lost their homes and were forced from their lands.
  In order to travel or work in a restricted White area, special passes 
were necessary. Non-Whites could not participate in national government 
and were segregated in almost every way imaginable--from education to 
transportation to health care.
  Nelson Mandela dedicated much of his life to ending this injustice. 
After years of protesting the harsh policies of the South African 
Government, he was imprisoned for 27 years--18 of which were spent at 
the infamous maximum security prison on Robben Island that was 
surrounded by shark-infested waters.
  There he suffered in a cell that he described as ``perpetually damp'' 
and only measured 7 feet by 8 feet.
  From prison, Nelson Mandela was an inspiration to those fighting 
apartheid both inside South Africa and throughout the world. And as 
pressure grew, the South African Government initiated secret talks with 
Mandela for the first time in 1986.
  That same year, I was a Member of the House of Representatives when 
Congress voted to impose sanctions against the South Africa 
Government--overriding a Presidential veto to do so.
  Two months before that historic and long overdue vote, the President 
gave a speech opposing comprehensive sanctions against South Africa. 
That same day, I went to the House floor to respond, asking:

       How many children have to die? How many funeral mourners 
     have to die? How much bloodshed will be spent before the 
     President decides that words are no longer enough--that 
     `constructive engagement' has done nothing to prevent 2,000 
     deaths since late 1984?

  In that same statement, I spoke about the ``concerned citizens all 
over the country who have emphasized the need to do something specific 
to demonstrate our abhorrence of the policies of the South African 
government.'' Those concerned citizens included the Solano County board 
of supervisors, who sent me a resolution in 1985 that declared, 
``Acquiescence to South Africa's apartheid policy, whatever the 
rationalization would be a rejection of the ultimate sacrifices made by 
those who died to ensure justice for all human beings . . .''
  It was the grassroots movement against apartheid in the 1980s that 
pushed Congress to enact sanctions, and this grassroots movement was 
inspired by the example of Nelson Mandela.
  In 1990, Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, and in 1994 
he was elected as South Africa's first Black President.
  Despite more than 40 years of suffering under the brutality of 
apartheid, Nelson Mandela chose reconciliation over resentment.
  During his inauguration, he declared, ``The time for the healing of 
the wounds has come . . . the moment to bridge the chasms that divide 
us has come. The time to build is upon us.''
  The legacy of Nelson Mandela lies not just in his courage to fight 
repression but in his courage to forgive his enemies.
  In his words, ``Courageous people do not fear forgiving for the sake 
of peace.''
  My deepest sympathies go out to Nelson Mandela's family, the nation 
of South Africa, and all those who are mourning the loss of this great 
man.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I further ask that the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 321) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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