III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 579 

Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson Mandela on the 

centenary of his birth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2018 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MERKLEY, 

Mr. MURPHY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. REED, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. WARREN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. DONNELLY, 

and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson 

Mandela on the centenary of his birth. 

Whereas Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, as 

Rolihlahla Mandela in the village of Mvezo in the Eastern 

Cape of South Africa; 

Whereas Nelson Mandela became a political activist as a 

young man and engaged in diverse acts of civil disobedience and resistance during the struggle against apartheid, the state-enforced system of racial segregation and 

systematic oppression maintained by the former white minority government of South Africa; 


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•SRES 579 IS 

Whereas Nelson Mandela was arrested twice in 1952 for his 

participation in the Defiance Campaign, which involved 

the organized contravention of apartheid laws through 

acts of civil disobedience, and received a suspended sentence of imprisonment with hard labor; 

Whereas, on August 5, 1962, as a leader of the African National Congress and the African National Congress Youth 

League, Nelson Mandela was arrested for his activism to 

end the discriminatory policies of apartheid; 

Whereas, on June 12, 1964, Nelson Mandela was found 

guilty of all charges against him and sentenced to life imprisonment; 

Whereas the global movement to release Nelson Mandela and 

end the South African system of apartheid— 

(1) employed international economic sanctions, such 

as the sanctions under the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid 

Act of 1986 (Public Law 99–440; 100 Stat. 1086); and 

(2) included the condemnation of apartheid by 

countless citizens, artists, intellectuals, and activists of 

the United States; 

Whereas, on February 11, 1990, under increasing international pressure and domestic campaign efforts, Nelson 

Mandela was released from prison after 27 years, 6 

months, and 1 week of continuous incarceration; 

Whereas, on his release, Nelson Mandela earned international 

recognition for leading efforts to foster reconciliation, 

peace, and democracy and for bringing about a negotiated transition ending the apartheid system and establishing universal suffrage and equal rights for all South 

Africans; 


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Whereas, on July 4, 1993, former President Bill Clinton 

awarded Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk 

the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; 

Whereas, on October 1, 1993, the Nobel Peace Prize was 

jointly awarded to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem 

de Klerk ‘‘for their work for the peaceful termination of 

the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations of 

a new democratic South Africa’’; 

Whereas, between April 16 and April 29, 1994, the citizens 

of South Africa voted in the first fully representative, 

multiracial national elections in the history of South Africa; 

Whereas, on May 9, 1994, the National Assembly elected 

Nelson Mandela as President of the Republic of South 

Africa under a government of national unity; 

Whereas, during his term as President of South Africa from 

1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela— 

(1) led the peaceful transition from apartheid minority rule to multicultural, multiracial, and multiparty democracy; and 

(2) played a critical role in the ongoing efforts of 

South Africa to foster national reconciliation; 

Whereas, on July 29, 1998, Congress awarded Nelson 

Mandela the Congressional Gold Medal; 

Whereas the decision of Nelson Mandela to step down after 

1 term as the elected President of South Africa was a 

commendable act exemplifying his commitment to democratic principles and serves as a model for elected leaders 

around the globe; 


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•SRES 579 IS 

Whereas, on July 9, 2002, former President George W. Bush 

honored Nelson Mandela with the Presidential Medal of 

Freedom; 

Whereas, on November 10, 2009, the United Nations General 

Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to designate 

July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day; 

Whereas the United States was a proud sponsor of the resolution; 

Whereas, on December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela died at the 

age of 95; 

Whereas former President George W. Bush called Nelson 

Mandela ‘‘one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time’’; 

Whereas former President Barack Obama called Nelson 

Mandela ‘‘the last great liberator of the 20th century’’ 

and observed that ‘‘Mandela taught us the power of action, but he also taught us the power of ideas; the importance of reason and arguments; [and] the need to study 

not only those who you agree with, but also those who 

you don’t agree with’’; 

Whereas, on July 28, 2014, former President Barack Obama 

renamed the Young African Leaders Initiative fellowship 

the ‘‘Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African 

Leaders’’ in honor of Nelson Mandela; 

Whereas July 18, 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of 

Nelson Mandela, which provides an opportunity for people around the world to reflect on his life and promote 

his legacy; 

Whereas, through the leadership of Nelson Mandela, the notion and spirit of ‘‘Ubuntu’’, a South African term referVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Jul 19, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR579.IS SR579

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ring to the interconnectedness and harmony of humanity, 

has spread throughout the world; and 

Whereas Nelson Mandela leaves a legacy that transcends his 

time and place in history and will guide and inspire future generations: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy 

3 of Nelson Mandela; 

4 (2) celebrates the leadership and commitment 

5 of Nelson Mandela to fighting discrimination, pov6 erty, and inequality and to promoting human rights 

7 and justice for all; 

8 (3) recognizes the shared history between South 

9 Africa and the United States, the embedded legacies 

10 of racial discrimination and division in both coun11 tries, and the shared and continuing efforts to over12 come those challenges in the manner exemplified by 

13 Nelson Mandela; 

14 (4) encourages the Administration of President 

15 Donald Trump to foster the enduring relationship 

16 between the people and governments of South Africa 

17 and the United States; and 

18 (5) encourages people around the world to re19 flect on the importance of tolerance, forgiveness, and 


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1 peace in honor of the centenary of the birth of Nel2 son Mandela. 

Æ 


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