NELSON MANDELA
LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
By Carla Morrison
Often I feel the spirit of our ancestors
speaking to me to act; however, I’m often in limbo on how to channel my actions
to be most effective with real change. Will it be through my writing ability, my public
relations efforts or my community/youth engagement?
Last night, I attended the
pre-screening of the film “Mandela” Long Walk to Freedom, played by
Idris Elba, who did a dynamic job, as did Naomie Harris, who played the role of
Winnie Mandela.
The film really moved me in a way
that woke me up in the middle of the night thinking about Nelson Mandela’s life
work and that of Winnie Mandela. At that time, I said to myself, “I’m going to
write an article on this movie” and I then began thinking about my in-direct connection
to such a rich history. I didn’t think
by the time I would actually sit down and begin writing the piece, Nelson
Mandela would have passed on….
I saw and felt the spirit of
Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, as I watched the
life of Nelson Mandela on film. However, it was the strong desire for freedom Winnie
Mandela possessed, that I believe was ignited by Nelson Mandela, that kept the African National Congress (ANC) mission
alive during the 27 years Mandela was in jail. Nelson Mandela’s influence on his
strong spirited and passionate wife Winnie and the South African nation will
live on for generations to come.
As a young girl growing up in New
Haven, Connecticut, I first became aware of Nelson Mandela, when the
Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools Dr. John Dow, was arrested for
protesting against Apartheid in front of Yale University. At the time, I didn’t understand why my
Superintendent would put himself in a position to get arrested, because in my
mind, we were past the Civil Rights Movement and I had no idea what Apartheid
was. By the time I went off to college, I became more aware of Nelson Mandela; and
when he was released from jail, he visited New York City, in 1990, where he spoke at
Yankee Stadium, with thousands of people gathered to see him and I was right
there standing proud as I witnessed history.
17 years later, in 2007, at the
request of Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey opens a school for girls, “Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy
for Girls”, in South Africa. As the founder of my own girl’s organization, “Sisters of Today and Tomorrow”, I get
excited just thinking about what these girls will become, and how they will
change the world. I also think about the
probability of Nelson Mandela’s thought process when he asked Oprah to develop
a school in his native land… In my mind,
I believe he understood his influence and Oprah’s power. The combination will be historic; because the
girls who attend and graduate from “Oprah
Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls” in South Africa have the opportunity
to attend college anywhere in the world. And we all know when you educate a girl you educate a nation.
With education being the
foundation for these young girls, a hint of Winnie Mandela’s passionate history for freedom that Mandela ignited and the guidance
of a woman like Oprah Winfrey, the legacy of Nelson Mandela and his fight for
true freedom will live on, as this long walk for freedom is not over just yet.
God Bless you Nelson Mandela and thank you for the influence you have
had on the world and generations to come…
