Sixty years ago, if you saw me and my family in public, there is a great chance you would not recognize us as being a family. My dad, my mom, and my three oldest siblings are Caucasian Americans. My sister, my foster-brother, and I are all Black South Africans. I even have a brother-in-law who is Taiwanese and Paraguayan. There is a good chance that sixty years ago my family would not be out in public together. There is a good chance we would not exist. However, if we did exist as a family, there would be no shortage of obstacles and difficulties meted out by society. Fortunately, the year is 2016 and families that look like mine are not condemned or doubted as often anymore. Families that look like mine can freely and proudly exist outside the confinement of home. My incredibly diverse and multicultural family stands in testimony to the progress concerning
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Through this term, newly elected President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu encouraged people to embrace all races and backgrounds of people. Nevertheless, they recognized these distinguishing features as a unique and rare opportunity for unity. Mandela’s vision to live in a society where one’s ethnicity and nationality would not be qualifying merits for respect, and humane treatment was not void of difficulties. Notably, in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, he details the endeavors and battles he faced while fighting for equality and opportunities lacking during the Apartheid regime. Apartheid means separateness and is literally a state of being apart. It was a system of racial segregation in South Africa that was legislated and carried out by the National Party from 1948 until 1994. Seeing this system as a practice of injustice and egregious behavior, Mandela courageously voiced his opinions and took action along with many other zealous
Through this term, newly elected President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu encouraged people to embrace all races and backgrounds of people. Nevertheless, they recognized these distinguishing features as a unique and rare opportunity for unity. Mandela’s vision to live in a society where one’s ethnicity and nationality would not be qualifying merits for respect, and humane treatment was not void of difficulties. Notably, in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, he details the endeavors and battles he faced while fighting for equality and opportunities lacking during the Apartheid regime. Apartheid means separateness and is literally a state of being apart. It was a system of racial segregation in South Africa that was legislated and carried out by the National Party from 1948 until 1994. Seeing this system as a practice of injustice and egregious behavior, Mandela courageously voiced his opinions and took action along with many other zealous