[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5070-S5071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 579--HONORING THE LIFE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND LEGACY 
            OF NELSON MANDELA ON THE CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH

  Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Flake, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Isakson, Mr. Jones, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
Murphy, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Reed, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. 
Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Donnelly, and Mr. Whitehouse) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

[[Page S5071]]

  


                              S. Res. 579

       Whereas Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, as 
     Rolihlahla Mandela in the village of Mvezo in the Eastern 
     Cape of South Africa;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela became a political activist as a 
     young man and engaged in diverse acts of civil disobedience 
     and resistance during the struggle against apartheid, the 
     state-enforced system of racial segregation and systematic 
     oppression maintained by the former white minority government 
     of South Africa;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela was arrested twice in 1952 for his 
     participation in the Defiance Campaign, which involved the 
     organized contravention of apartheid laws through acts of 
     civil disobedience, and received a suspended sentence of 
     imprisonment with hard labor;
       Whereas, on August 5, 1962, as a leader of the African 
     National Congress and the African National Congress Youth 
     League, Nelson Mandela was arrested for his activism to end 
     the discriminatory policies of apartheid;
       Whereas, on June 12, 1964, Nelson Mandela was found guilty 
     of all charges against him and sentenced to life 
     imprisonment;
       Whereas the global movement to release Nelson Mandela and 
     end the South African system of apartheid--
       (1) employed international economic sanctions, such as the 
     sanctions under the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 
     (Public Law 99-440; 100 Stat. 1086); and
       (2) included the condemnation of apartheid by countless 
     citizens, artists, intellectuals, and activists of the United 
     States;
       Whereas, on February 11, 1990, under increasing 
     international pressure and domestic campaign efforts, Nelson 
     Mandela was released from prison after 27 years, 6 months, 
     and 1 week of continuous incarceration;
       Whereas, on his release, Nelson Mandela earned 
     international recognition for leading efforts to foster 
     reconciliation, peace, and democracy and for bringing about a 
     negotiated transition ending the apartheid system and 
     establishing universal suffrage and equal rights for all 
     South Africans;
       Whereas, on July 4, 1993, former President Bill Clinton 
     awarded Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk the 
     Philadelphia Liberty Medal;
       Whereas, on October 1, 1993, the 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 of a new 
     democratic South Africa'';
       Whereas, between April 16 and April 29, 1994, the citizens 
     of South Africa voted in the first fully representative, 
     multiracial national elections in the history of South 
     Africa;
       Whereas, on May 9, 1994, the National Assembly elected 
     Nelson Mandela as President of the Republic of South Africa 
     under a government of national unity;
       Whereas, during his term as President of South Africa from 
     1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela--
       (1) led the peaceful transition from apartheid minority 
     rule to multicultural, multiracial, and multiparty democracy; 
     and
       (2) played a critical role in the ongoing efforts of South 
     Africa to foster national reconciliation;
       Whereas, on July 29, 1998, Congress awarded Nelson Mandela 
     the Congressional Gold Medal;
       Whereas the decision of Nelson Mandela to step down after 1 
     term as the elected President of South Africa was a 
     commendable act exemplifying his commitment to democratic 
     principles and serves as a model for elected leaders around 
     the globe;
       Whereas, on July 9, 2002, former President George W. Bush 
     honored Nelson Mandela with the Presidential Medal of 
     Freedom;
       Whereas on November 10, 2009, the United Nations General 
     Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to designate July 
     18 as Nelson Mandela International Day;
       Whereas the United States was a proud sponsor of the 
     resolution;
       Whereas, on December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela died at the 
     age of 95;
       Whereas former President George W. Bush called Nelson 
     Mandela ``one of the great forces for freedom and equality of 
     our time'';
       Whereas former President Barack Obama called Nelson Mandela 
     ``the last great liberator of the 20th century'' and observed 
     that ``Mandela taught us the power of action, but he also 
     taught us the power of ideas; the importance of reason and 
     arguments; [and] the need to study not only those who you 
     agree with, but also those who you don't agree with'';
       Whereas, on July 28, 2014, former President Barack Obama 
     renamed the Young African Leaders Initiative fellowship the 
     ``Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders'' 
     in honor of Nelson Mandela;
       Whereas July 18, 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of 
     Nelson Mandela, which provides an opportunity for people 
     around the world to reflect on his life and promote his 
     legacy;
       Whereas, through the leadership of Nelson Mandela, the 
     notion and spirit of ``Ubuntu'', a South African term 
     referring to the interconnectedness and harmony of humanity, 
     has spread throughout the world; and
       Whereas Nelson Mandela leaves a legacy that transcends his 
     time and place in history and will guide and inspire future 
     generations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson 
     Mandela;
       (2) celebrates the leadership and commitment of Nelson 
     Mandela to fighting discrimination, poverty, and inequality 
     and to promoting human rights and justice for all;
       (3) recognizes the shared history between South Africa and 
     the United States, the embedded legacies of racial 
     discrimination and division in both countries, and the shared 
     and continuing efforts to overcome those challenges in the 
     manner exemplified by Nelson Mandela;
       (4) encourages the Administration of President Donald Trump 
     to foster the enduring relationship between the people and 
     governments of South Africa and the United States; and
       (5) encourages people around the world to reflect on the 
     importance of tolerance, forgiveness, and peace in honor of 
     the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela.

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