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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Many pivotal events in South Africa's history mark
3 that country's struggle for democracy and racial equality; and
 
4     WHEREAS, In 1950 and 1952 the South African Government
5 created race based policies that severely restricted access to
6 land and movement by blacks; and
 
7     WHEREAS, During the 1950s, the African National Congress
8 (ANC), formed in 1912 to bring all Africans together as one
9 people to defend their rights and freedoms, was reenergized to
10 aggressively fight for the rights of blacks; and
 
11     WHEREAS, A mass mobilization campaign began shortly
12 thereafter in reaction to these laws, a consequence of which
13 was the creation of the Freedom Charter, based on principles of
14 human rights and racial equality adopted in 1955 at the
15 Congress of the People in Soweto; and
 
16     WHEREAS, On March 21, 1960, during a rally protesting the
17 laws that restricted movement of blacks, 69 unarmed people were
18 killed by police officers in the Sharpeville incident; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 1962, a new stage of international pressure on
20 the South African Government to change its repressive policies
21 began when the United Nations General Assembly adopted
22 Resolution 1761 which called on its members to institute
23 economic sanctions against South Africa; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela, who secretly exercised his
25 leadership in the ANC, was arrested and sentenced to five years
26 imprisonment in 1962 for incitement; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Several of Mandela's senior ANC colleagues,
28 including Walter Sisulu, were arrested, and Mandela was brought

 

 

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1 from jail to trial with his ANC colleagues resulting in
2 sentences of life imprisonment for Mandela and his colleagues;
3 and
 
4     WHEREAS, During a protest march against being taught in the
5 Afrikaans language in 1976, police fired on youth in Soweto,
6 killing 13 year old Hector Petersen and at least three others,
7 precipitating a massive flood of violence; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Stephen Biko, the founder of the new Black
9 Consciousness movement, was killed as a result of police
10 brutality in 1977; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk
12 lifted restrictions on 33 opposition groups, including the
13 African National Congress; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of
15 imprisonment on February 11, 1990; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela and President F.W. de Klerk were
17 jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; and
 
18     WHEREAS, On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first
19 democratic elections and Nelson Mandela, as the leader of the
20 ANC party, was elected unopposed as President of South Africa
21 in 1994; and
 
22     WHEREAS, During his presidential inaugural speech, which
23 was attended by the largest gathering of international leaders
24 ever held in South Africa, Nelson Mandela called for a "time of
25 healing" and stated that his government would fight against
26 discrimination of any kind; therefore, be it
 
27     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
28 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize and

 

 

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1 commemorate the tenth anniversary of South Africa's first
2 democratic elections; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That we remember and honor the individuals who
4 contributed to and dedicated their lives to promoting and
5 championing democracy in South Africa, most notably Nelson
6 Mandela, Stephen Biko, F.W. de Klerk, Chris Hani, Helen Joseph,
7 Thabo Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Joe Slovo, Helen Suzman, Oliver
8 Tambo, and Desmond Tutu; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That we recognize the exceptional character of
10 Nelson Mandela for his dedication to humanity, commitment to
11 democratic ideals, and continued display of tolerance and
12 spirit of conciliation for the world; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we recognize the pivotal events in South
14 Africa's history that mark the struggle for democracy and
15 racial equality; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the
17 President of the Republic of South Africa.