Celebrating black history

By Azariah S. Santoli

In celebration of Black History Month, The Rider News will highlight one to two prominent figures in black history each week during the month of February.

In the South African language of Afrikaans, the word apartheid means
separate. Apartheid was a system designed to segregate the races in South Africa for nearly 46 years. In order to maintain their political dominance, those of European descent used
apartheid laws to keep blacks, the countries’ majority, from moving up economically or socially. Blacks were not permitted to vote or influence the government, move between districts or receive medical care or other public services.

Mandela was the first president of South Africa to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. He served as the most famous and prominent anti-apartheid activist. He was also the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), a social-democratic political party whose main focus was to aid in the rights of the South African black population.

This group began an underground operation to end apartheid and promote black rights. Mandela helped orchestrate the defensive wing of the ANC, stating that the non-violent methods had failed. He was soon arrested by government authorities on terms of sabotage. He was jailed for a total of 27 years.