83S20485 JGH-D
By: Giddings, Turner of Harris, Craddick, H.C.R. No. 16
Pitts, Johnson, et al.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Each year, the date of July 18 is recognized as
Nelson Mandela International Day; in 2013, that date will also mark
Mr. Mandela's 95th birthday, making this a fitting occasion to
celebrate the life and legacy of a courageous and inspirational
figure who is revered around the world; and
WHEREAS, Born into the Tembu tribe in the Transkei region of
South Africa in 1918, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela earned a degree
from University College of Fort Hare and studied law at the
University of Witwatersrand; and
WHEREAS, In 1944, Mr. Mandela joined the African National
Congress, and he soon became actively engaged in resistance against
the racist apartheid policies of South Africa's ruling National
Party; as part of that effort, he helped launch the "Defiance"
campaign of civil disobedience in 1952; the government responded by
trying him for treason in the late 1950s, though he was ultimately
acquitted of that charge; and
WHEREAS, After the Sharpeville Massacre of 69 anti-apartheid
protestors in 1960, the ANC was banned, and Mr. Mandela began
advocating for armed resistance to the government; arrested in
1962, he was sentenced to five years of hard labor, and in a
separate trial that began the following year, he was sentenced to
life in prison; and
WHEREAS, From 1964 to 1982, Mr. Mandela was jailed in a small
cell on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, and he was later
incarcerated at two prisons on the mainland; during his 25 years as
a prisoner, he endured harsh conditions while steadfastly refusing
to compromise his belief in justice and equal rights for all South
Africans; his valiant stand helped strengthen opposition to
apartheid, both within South Africa and around the world; and
WHEREAS, The anti-apartheid movement achieved one of its
greatest victories in 1990 when Mr. Mandela was released from
prison, and he soon became a key figure in the negotiations to
dismantle the country's unjust system of government; he received
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and the following year he was elected
as South Africa's president in the nation's first multiracial
election; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, the General Assembly of the United Nations
voted unanimously to commemorate his birthday each year as Nelson
Mandela International Day, an observance that emphasizes the
ability of individuals to effect positive change in their
communities; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Nelson Mandela has
followed a difficult and often lonely path in the pursuit of
justice; starting as an idealistic student determined to make his
country a better place, he went on to become a resolute and
determined prisoner of conscience and, finally, an admired
international figure who symbolizes the victory of freedom over
oppression; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas,
2nd Called Session, hereby designate July 18, 2013, as Nelson
Mandela International Day in Texas.