PRINTER'S NO. 4304
No. 881 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY McGEEHAN, ADOLPH, BELFANTI, BENNINGTON, BISHOP,
BLACKWELL, BRENNAN, BUXTON, DALEY, DeLUCA, DENLINGER,
DePASQUALE, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GIBBONS,
GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, JAMES, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, LEVDANSKY,
LONGIETTI, MANN, McCALL, MILLARD, MOUL, MURT, M. O'BRIEN,
PARKER, PAYTON, PHILLIPS, PRESTON, RAMALEY, READSHAW,
SAINATO, SCAVELLO, SHAPIRO, SIPTROTH, STABACK, STURLA, SURRA,
WAGNER, WALKO, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Commemorating Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday on July 18, 2008,
2 and honoring his achievements and sacrifices that brought
3 democracy and peace to South Africa.
4 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela was born July 18, 1918, in Cape of
5 Good Hope, South Africa; and
6 WHEREAS, After years of exposure to the inhumanities of
7 apartheid, a system of legalized segregation policies enforced
8 by the ruling National Party, Nelson Mandela began working to
9 promote the advancement of human rights issues in South Africa;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela attended the University College of
12 Fort Hare and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand,
13 where he later earned a degree in law; and
14 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress
15 in 1944, a liberation group that opposed the apartheid policies
1 enforced by the National Party; and
2 WHEREAS, In 1963, Nelson Mandela and others were found guilty
3 and charged with life in prison for sabotage, treason and
4 violent conspiracy against the government, in what is now known
5 as the Rivonia Trial; and
6 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela was incarcerated from 1964 to 1988,
7 much of the time spent at the notorious Robben Island Prison,
8 located in Cape Town, South Africa; and
9 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela never surrendered his political
10 principles while in prison, and
11 WHEREAS, On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released
12 from prison under South Africa's President, F. W. de Klerk; and
13 WHEREAS, With the collapse of apartheid, Nelson Mandela
14 peacefully guided the transition of South Africa into a
15 nonracial democracy, unifying a once-divided people; and
16 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
17 December 1993 for laying the foundation for a new democratic
18 South Africa; and
19 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically
20 elected president of the African National Congress in 1994; and
21 WHEREAS, During his presidency, Nelson Mandela formed the
22 Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated and
23 studied human rights violations, housing issues, educational
24 policies and economic development standards in South Africa; and
25 WHEREAS, In 1996, South Africa enacted its first democratic
26 constitution, which was overseen by Nelson Mandela; and
27 WHEREAS, Since retiring in 1999, Nelson Mandela continues to
28 actively pursue advancements in racial equality throughout South
29 Africa and the rest of the world; and
30 WHEREAS, Nelson Mandela's accomplishments have been
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1 acknowledged by more than 100 awards, and he continues to
2 actively petition for renewed efforts to combat the growing AIDS
3 epidemic; and
4 WHEREAS, In 2003, Nelson Mandela's AIDS Day Concert was held
5 to bring awareness to this international tragedy; therefore be
6 it
7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the
8 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela on July 18, 2008, and honor the
9 contributions and sacrifices he has made to ensure that
10 democracy and equal opportunity thrive throughout South Africa.
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