Excerpts From Nelson Mandella’s Speeches
Black History Month Famous Speech Series
Nelson Mandela gave some long speeches. His “An Ideal I am Prepared to Die For” speech was over three hours long. I went thru them so you don’t have to. Here are some excerpts to give a feel for what he was saying. Our younger generations already have little or no knowledge of his struggle.
‘Black Man In A White Man’s Court’
This was Mandela’s first court statement, in Pretoria, October 1962. He opened his arguments by saying he believed this was a “trial of the African people”.In its proper meaning equality before the law means the right to participate in the making of the laws by which one is governed, a constitution which guarantees democratic rights to all sections of the population, the right to approach the court for protection or relief in the case of the violation of rights guaranteed in the constitution, and the right to take part in the administration of justice as judges, magistrates, attorneys-general, law advisers and similar positions.
In the absence of these safeguards the phrase ‘equality before the law’, in so far as it is intended to apply to us, is meaningless and misleading. All the rights and privileges to which I have referred are monopolised by whites, and we enjoy none of them.
