85S10938 JCD-D
By: Giddings H.R. No. 34
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Each year, the date of July 18 is recognized as
Nelson Mandela International Day, providing a welcome opportunity
to celebrate the life of a courageous and inspirational figure who
is revered around the globe; 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; this observance emphasizes the ability
of individuals to effect positive change in their communities, and
it serves as a continuing reminder of the legacy of Mr. Mandela, who
passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Nelson Mandela 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 House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby recognize July 18, 2017, as
Nelson Mandela International Day.