Nelson Mandela Day Event
Since 2010, the 18th July has been declared Nelson Mandela Day — celebrated on his birthday. It offers us a chance to reflect on issues of social injustice, and peace, but also reminds us that we can achieve great things when we unite together.
You don’t have to be political to fight social injustice, you can get involved through the Mandela Foundation to offer skills and resources — for example to assist in supporting educational or nutritional projects, among other things.
With this in mind, the Equality Diversity & Inclusion group (ED&I) held their first ever event for the union’s staff and Principal Executive Council (PEC). It was an opportunity to talk about Mandela, the links forged with the UK trade union movement during his lifetime, the current wave of anti-racist protests that are shining a spotlight on social injustices and to raise awareness of the foundation itself.
The event was held via Microsoft Teams on Thursday 16th.
Who was Mandela?
For those of you who don’t know much about Mandela, he was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist, and the first black President of South Africa (serving from 1994 to 1999).
Apartheid (which in Afrikaans means “apartness”) was a set of political, social and economic policies that segregated the white minorities to the detriment of the black majority in South Africa, from 1948 until as recent as the 1990’s.
Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the white apartheid government. Mandela served 27 years in prison. When Mandela led the ANC (African National Congress) party to victory, he sought to reconcile the country’s deeply divided racial groups and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses
Mandela’s release from prison, and the ANC’s victory was helped in no small part by trade unions who helped develop political and economic resistance around including significant boycotts and global political influencing of leaders.
The UK trade union movement was an integral part of the wider anti-apartheid movement for a long time. The TUC were slow in adopting the wider held views which were mainly influenced by the white-dominated Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA) but changed their policy in 1981 in line with many other organisations. By 1990, 43 British Trade Unions were affiliated to the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM)
The Trade Union movement has long held the belief that an injury to one, is an injury to all, and it’s important that we work with our sisters and brothers across the world — not just offering solidarity but assisting them in gaining recognition, pressuring and boycotting and sharing expertise and resources.
When Mandela stepped down as President in 1999, he formed the Nelson Mandela Foundation to continue building a society that remembers its past, listens to all voices and pursues social justice for all. While things have improved somewhat for black South Africans, many still remain in relative poverty. The Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown has exacerbated the problem. The Mandela Foundation is quoted as saying “There are few times in history that have called more urgently for solidarity and concerted efforts to take action against poverty and injustice.”
Due to Covid-19, the Mandela foundation has launched their “each 1 feed 1” campaign to raise funds to take action against poverty.
Injustice in the spotlight
There are are some key debates taking place in wider society right now about social injustices and institutional racism that persist — a recent TUC shines a spotlight on the impact of Covid-19 on BME workers in the UK. The removal of statues has become an emblem of this conversation, and for good reason.
Statues are powerful images which signify institutions and historical figures that cultures seek to honour, and represent aspects of history held to be morally ideal or worthy of remembrance. But we live in a time in which those historical ideals, and the often-forgotten crimes of the past, are increasingly being called into question. The current discussions around statues is just one part of this conversation, but it’s an important part — removing statues won’t fix the institutional imbalances that exist, but they are a symbol of the struggles faced by parts of our society.
There are debates across the spectrum, but as a union movement, we’re used to uniting in solidarity — we bring people together with a common vision and goal. Throughout our collective existence we have helped move society forwards. We should be at the forefront of the current wave of anti-racism helping to navigate a way that facilitates a rational conversation that seeks to redress the power imbalance, while re-examining history to come to a new understanding of how out past shapes the realities of our present.
The work of the Mandela Foundation offers an opportunity for us to reconcile our past, and continue to build towards the future that Mandela envisaged.
About Accord ED&I Group
The Accord Equality Diversity & Inclusion group’s aim is to ensure every individual has the right to an equal opportunity to maximise their potential, regardless of background, and to be treated with dignity and respect. It’s a place where diversity is celebrated, and all contributions are welcomed and cherished without prejudice or judgement. It’s also a chance to collectively learn from our experiences, allowing us to remove barriers and ultimately enrich each others lives.
The group will be holding further events throughout the remainder of 2020 across a broad spectrum of topics. If you’re interested, why not get involved — email us at equality@accordhq.org
We’re here to help. If you want to talk to us confidentially contact us at equality@accordhq.org
