[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 18, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MAXINE WATERS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 18, 2017

  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great 
pride as I join with millions of people around the world who are 
honoring the life and legacy of South African President Nelson Mandela 
on the day that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 
``Nelson Mandela International Day'', in recognition of his lifetime of 
service in South Africa and all over the world.
  In his 95 years of life, President Mandela, or `Mandiba' as he was 
affectionately called, was a revolutionary and transformative leader 
who forever changed the world through his steadfast dedication to 
freedom, equality, and human rights. After spending 27 years in prison, 
Nelson Mandela became the first black South African to be elected 
President in what was also the first free, multi-racial, democratic 
election in South African history. While President Mandela used his 
administration to dismantle apartheid, combat institutional racism, and 
begin the process of racial reconciliation in his country, his efforts 
also taught the world the power of one man having the fortitude to 
sacrifice his own ideals for a cause greater than himself.
  Beginning with his time as the founder of the African National 
Congress Youth League and extending beyond his tenure as President of 
South Africa, Nelson Mandela led the anti-apartheid movement and 
inspired a generation of activists. To me, however, Nelson Mandela was 
more than a world-renowned hero--I had the distinct honor and privilege 
of calling him a friend. I credit him for his courageous leadership of 
the international anti-apartheid movement which encouraged me to join 
in the fight and is still, to this day, one of the most defining 
moments of my life and career.
  During the 1980s, I served as the Los Angles Chair of the Free South 
Africa Movement where I held regular meetings with community leaders, 
organized countless anti-apartheid rallies and marches, and led an 
overnight sit-in at the South African Consulate General Office in Los 
Angeles.
  As a member of the California State Assembly, I fought for nine years 
for the passage of Assembly Bill 134 which was signed into law in 
August of 1986 and forced California to divest $12 billion in state 
pension funds tied to the apartheid regime in South Africa. I also put 
my own freedom on the line when I was arrested for protesting the 
apartheid regime in front of the South African Consulate in Washington, 
D.C.
  In 1990, I had the distinct honoring of chairing the welcome 
committee for the Los Angeles stop on Nelson Mandela's eight-city U.S. 
tour and helped organize a concert and rally attended by 90,000 people 
in the Los Angeles Coliseum which was filled to capacity.
  In 1991, I took my first trip to South Africa after the ban on the 
African National Congress was lifted and the international boycott of 
South Africa was ended. During that inspirational trip, I joined with 
other international representatives in welcoming the end of the ban on 
the ANC and working for Nelson Mandela's release from prison, and I 
also traveled with the official United States delegation to South 
Africa in 1994 to attend his inauguration as President of South Africa. 
In 1998, I was honored to welcome President Mandela to the United 
States once again, this time to receive the U.S. Congressional Gold 
Medal.
  For Mandela's 95th birthday in 2013, I led the Congressional Black 
Caucus and Members of Congress in organizing a bipartisan celebration 
of his life and legacy. The hour-long event filled Emancipation Hall to 
capacity and included most of the congressional leadership, including 
House Speaker John Boehner (ROH), Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-
CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority 
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). These leaders were joined by a large 
group of civil rights leaders, members of the African Diplomatic Corps, 
and the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.
  Five months later upon his passing in December of 2013, I traveled to 
South Africa once again to attend his Memorial Service.
  So as we pause to reflect on Nelson Mandela's memory today, on what 
would have been his 99th birthday, let us all remember what he taught 
us when he said, `What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have 
lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that 
will determine the significance of the life we lead.'
  Few embody this quote better than Nelson Mandela himself, and it is 
my sincere hope that my own career in public service lives up to his 
extraordinary example.

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