Mandela’s birth name means a. leader b. creator c. troublemaker
In university, Mandela studied a. law b. political science c. history
In 1990, a. Mandela was arrested for his activism b. Mandela was pardoned and released from prison c. Mandela was elected South Africa’s first Black president
Discussion/essay questions
Nelson Mandela is often remembered as a non-violent activist. However, he also took part in some armed resistance against the government. What do you think about violence and non-violence? Is force ever necessary to resist injustice? Why or why not?
Transcript
Nelson Mandela was a South African activist, lawyer, and politician. He was born in the Mvezo village in 1918. His original name was Rolihlahla, which means “troublemaker” in Xhosa. Mandela studied law in university, and later joined the African National Congress, a political group that aimed to end apartheid and liberate Black Africans from oppression. In 1962, Mandela was arrested for his acts of resistance against the South African government. He received a life sentence in 1964 and spent 27 years in prison. After being pardoned in 1990, Mandela began to meet with members of the government to negotiate suffrage for Black South Africans. Four years later, he became the country’s first Black president. He died in 2013, at age 95.
Malala Yousafzai’s activism led to the approval of a Right to Education bill in Pakistan in 2012. Who are some other activists whose protests have changed laws?
Transcript
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist. She was born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. In 2008, the Taliban invaded Yousafzaiās hometown. They closed and destroyed many of the girlsā schools in the area. This motivated Yousafzai to speak up about girlsā rights to education. When she was only 11 years old, she started publishing her opinions under a pseudonym. Her activism drew a lot of attention, and her real name was soon revealed to the public. In 2012, Yousafzai was shot by a Taliban gunman while riding the bus. She recovered from the attack at a hospital in Birmingham, England, and began to go to school there. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
When Princess Diana was alive, she received lots of media attention. The public wanted to know everything about her life. Why do you think people are so interested in the lives of celebrities? How can this be harmful?
Transcript
Princess Diana was a member of the British royal family. She was born in Norfolk, England in 1961. She became royalty at age 20 when she married Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. The royal wedding had over 2000 guests. Diana was known for her fashion sense, but also for her activism. Throughout her life, Diana helped to raise awareness for people living with AIDS. Sometimes she even brought her sons with her when she went to visit patients. For this reason, she gained the nickname “The Peopleās Princess”. Even after she and Charles separated in 1992, the British media continued to pay attention to Diana. In 1997, she died in an accident after paparazzi tried to chase her car. Over two billion people around the world watched her funeral live on television, and her family created a charity in her memory.
In the United States and Canada, February is Black History Month. Tubman’s story is often taught in schools during this time. Why is it so important to learn stories like hers?
Can you think of some other people in history who fought for human rights?
Transcript
Harriet Tubman was an American activist who helped to free hundreds of people from slavery. She was born into slavery herself around 1820, and she escaped in 1849. A network of people called the Underground Railroad helped Tubman make the journey to the North, where slavery was illegal. However, once Tubman gained her freedom, she decided that she wanted to help other people gain theirs. She began to work with the Underground Railroad. Her job was to rescue enslaved people and bring them to the North, where they could live freely. She went on many missions over eight years. When the American Civil War began in 1861, Tubman joined the army to work as a nurse. She eventually got to lead a raid in South Carolina that freed hundreds of enslaved people. Even after slavery was abolished in the United States, Tubman continued to fight for the rights of Black Americans and women. She died in 1913, at about 90 years old.
Although the civil rights movement ended a long time ago, racism did not. In recent years, a new movement called Black Lives Matter has gained international support. This movement aims to end racism and abuse of power within the police system. What are some of the major similarities and differences between this movement and the movement of the 1960s?
Transcript
John Lewis was an American activist and politician. He was born in 1940 in Troy, Alabama. When Lewis was growing up, segregation was still common in Southern states. As a teenager, Lewis was inspired by the speeches of activist Martin Luther King, Jr. While he was a student in college, Lewis became involved in the American civil rights movement, which aimed to gain equal rights and opportunities for Black people. He even helped to organize the March on Washington, one of the most important events of the entire movement. Lewis continued to advocate for the rights of Black Americans long after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. He decided to run for office in the 1980s to help marginalized communities. Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986, and he served until his death in 2020.
Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired many people to stand up for the civil rights movement. Can you think of a time that you stood up for something you believed in?
Transcript
Famous activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. Like most black Americans living in the South back then, King faced discrimination growing up. At age 15, he spent a summer in the North. He was surprised to see that in northern states, people of all races could go to the same churches and eat in the same restaurants. This inspired him to fight against segregation in the South. Nine years later, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he became the leader of a civil rights organization. He led several peaceful protests, which eventually led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act. This act outlawed racial discrimination. King was killed in 1968, but his accomplishments allowed black Americans to keep fighting for equality. He is still commemorated today.
