Nelson Mandela: a formidable anti-racist legacy

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” Mandela

In light of a global movement to acknowledge and dismantle structural racism and violence against individuals and Communities of Colour, we would be remiss not to celebrate a man whose name is irrevocably tied to the ending of apartheid, anti-oppression, resilience, liberation, and compassion, among others.

Nelson Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95, and his entire life still stands as a testament to the power of the human spirit. His own strength saw him withstand physical imprisonment for 27 years, powered him to end apartheid and gave him the drive to improve the lives of millions of people cast to the margins of society.

He was not a faultless man, a human without reproach - because who is? But his mark on the world was undeniable and we’ve gathered the many teachings and principles that we should be holding onto as inclusion and anti-racism advocates.

1. He believed in and sought to nurture the next generation(s)

“The true character of society is revealed in how it treats its children,” Mandela.

Mandela was a champion for children’s rights, advocating for those without a seat in decision-making spaces. Not only did he share his own resources, donating a third of his salary to creating an organisation focused on ending extreme poverty and child homelessness, but he set about making policy changes.

Amongst those, he wielded his political power to end the ban on Black South Africans studying science and technology, thus dismantling a key hurdle for pursuing careers in STEM fields. With time, he knew STEM role models would inspire other young people. With World Youth Skills Day on 15th July (3 days ago), this is all pretty topical.

“On your shoulders rest the challenge of giving science a face that inspires our youth to seek out science, engineering and technology” Mandela.

2. He democratised education, making it accessible to students from rural areas

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" Mandela.

The Nelson Mandela Institute for Rural Development and Education was founded in 2007, to train and send highly qualified educators to rural, impoverished areas and equip schools with modern facilities.

Up until that point income inequality, as well as untrained teachers and inadequate facilities, had prevented students from rural areas from closing the racial achievement gap that emerged during apartheid.

3. He fought to establish gender inequality in political spheres

“It is vitally important that all structures of government, including the President himself, should understand this fully: that freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression” Mandela.

During his first State of the Nation Address in 1994, Mandela expressed his commitment to the "emancipation” of women and called for equality across systems in South Africa. To eliminate violence against women and to ensure equality of pay.

The growing number of women serving in South Africa’s parliament continues to demonstrate the progress toward Mandela’s mission of gender equality. For reference: when Mandela first became president, women held just 2.7% of seats in South Africa’s parliament. By 2013, less than two decades later, this had risen to 44%.

4. He strove to ensure the dignity of South Africans marginalised in other ways

Although engaged primarily in anti-racism and anti-Apartheid, he made clear that all South Africans were worthy of respect, dignity and equal access to opportunity. Black, White, Coloured (an appropriate term in South Africa)... he wanted to build a world where all ethnicities could thrive and also allied for LGBT rights - the first African leader to do so.

Under his presidency, the new South African Constitutional Court also made some unprecedented judgements protecting lesbian women and gay men. His intersectional approach to creating equality was solidified by his government’s support of LGBT equality and the end of legal discrimination against LGBT people.

>>> Read our 2022 Report for statistics on Racial Equity in the Workplace

5. He chose to use his platform to liberate and empower

The government offered to release Mandela, in 1985, on the condition he would not engage in political activities once free. For Mandela, this was not an option,

"I cannot and will not give any undertaking at a time when I and you, the people, are not free, Your freedom and mine cannot be separated."

Once released, he sought to establish voting rights for Black South Africans, independent of their education levels or race.

"The Africans require, want the franchise, the basis of One Man One Vote — they want political independence".

He achieved a multiracial voting system after the collapse of Apartheid and his election as president in 1994.

6. He found it within him to balance forgiveness with accountability

One of his first actions as president was to create a Committee for Truth and Reconciliation, an agency focused on investigating crimes committed under apartheid from 1960 to 1994 - a beacon for human rights volition investigators everywhere.

His extraordinary compassion led him to reconciliations with former White supremacist oppressors. You’ll no doubt have come across Invictus, the film dramatisation of a symbolic historic moment at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final where he wore the Springbok emblem - a symbol of “the game of the enemy” for all to see. Beyond the symbolism, he set up a commission of inquiry to investigate racism and corruption in South African rugby.

7. He believed in the power of an individual to act and have an impact

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living” Mandela.

Mandela was one man. But he was a man who used whatever privilege he acquired, such as his skills as a human rights lawyer and position as a senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), to fight for equality and lead mass anti-racist movements including co-founding uMkhonto we Sizwe resistance group.

On a raid of this group, Mandela was captured and sentenced to life in prison. With formidable resilience, he eventually led the nation, changed countless lives and inspired people across the world to believe in their personal spheres of influence and power.

8. He gave the values of Ubuntu to the world

Mandela understood how insidiously White supremacy showed up in the world. He also understood how it could divide, and be used as a technology for oppression and fuel hatred. But with all that understanding, he still chose love, kindness, unity and peace.

This is where he shared with the world “Ubuntu” the Xhosa idea, and his guiding principle, that we are all interconnected. That there’s an impenetrable tie that binds us all to one another. That conflict amongst people is only temporary, and at odds with the natural order of our true nature as human beings: togetherness.

“Ubuntu, a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: His recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. . . . He not only embodied Ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves.” Barack Obama

Nelson Mandela was a man who gave so much to millions of people. We can learn an inordinate amount from the way he conducted himself, and from the huge political changes, he implemented. A man of action, but a man filled with grace and humility and without question a man who left a formidable legacy.