IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 455 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on Nelson Mandela 
International Day. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2017 
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 
CONNOLLY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. DONOVAN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. JACKSON 
LEE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Georgia, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. LEE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, 
Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of Cali-
fornia, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Mr. COHEN) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on 
Nelson Mandela International Day. 
Whereas Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born to the Thembo 
Dynasty in Mvezo in the Umtata District of Transkei, 
South Africa, on July 18, 1918; 
Whereas, as a young man, Nelson Mandela became an activ-
ist through acts of boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, 
and other forms of noncooperation during the fight 
against apartheid, a system of racial segregation in South 
Africa; 
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•HRES 455 IH 
Whereas, as a leader of the African National Congress (ANC) 
and the African National Congress Youth League, Nelson 
Mandela and 9 of his fellow ANC leaders were arrested, 
charged, and tried for plotting the violent overthrow of 
the Government of South Africa; 
Whereas, on June 12, 1964, 8 of the accused, including Nel-
son Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment; 
Whereas, from 1964 to 1982, Nelson Mandela was incarcer-
ated at Robben Island Prison, off the coast of Cape 
Town, South Africa, before being moved to the max-
imum-security Pollsmoor Prison in the Cape Town sub-
urb of Tokai; 
Whereas, during the years of his imprisonment, Nelson 
Mandela became widely accepted as the most significant 
Black leader in South Africa and a symbol of resistance 
against apartheid, discrimination, and injustice; 
Whereas a global movement to release Nelson Mandela and 
end the South African system of apartheid included inter-
national economic sanctions like Public Law No. 99–440, 
the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, and the condemnation of 
apartheid by countless leaders, artists, intellectuals, and 
activists; 
Whereas at 4:14 p.m. on February 11, 1990, Mandela was 
released from the Victor Verster prison in Paarl after 
being a political prisoner for 27 years, 6 months, and 1 
week; 
Whereas the release of Nelson Mandela was a defining mo-
ment in the global effort to end apartheid; 
Whereas, in 1993, Nelson Mandela and South African Presi-
dent F.W. de Klerk accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and 
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pledged to continue working towards a democratic, non-
racial South Africa; 
Whereas a series of negotiations between the Government of 
South Africa and the ANC resulted in the abolishment of 
apartheid and an election in which almost 20,000,000 
South Africans of all ethnicities cast their vote under a 
national policy of universal suffrage; 
Whereas Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of 
the Republic of South Africa on May 10, 1994, and 
pledged to lead a ‘‘united, democratic, non-racial and 
non-sexist government’’ for all people of South Africa; 
Whereas, during President Mandela’s tenure, there were dis-
tinct advancements in racial relations as South Africa 
transitioned from apartheid and minority rule to a coun-
try that aspired to achieve reconciliation, equality, and 
peace; 
Whereas, through President Mandela’s leadership, the spirit 
of ‘‘ubuntu’’, the African philosophy of the interconnect-
edness, caring, sharing, and harmony of humanity, has 
spread throughout the world; 
Whereas, in 1999, President Mandela retired to private life 
in his town of birth, Qunu, Transkei; 
Whereas upon leaving elected office, President Mandela con-
tinued to fight for peace, reconciliation, and social justice 
causes including championing HIV/AIDS awareness and 
treatment; 
Whereas Nelson Mandela established a number of organiza-
tions, which include the Nelson Mandela Foundation and 
The Elders, an independent group of public figures com-
mitted to addressing global problems and easing human 
suffering; 
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Whereas, on September 21, 2013, the South African Em-
bassy, led by Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, unveiled a 
Washington, DC, statue of President Mandela that was 
designed by sculptor Jean Doyle and modeled after im-
ages of the anti-apartheid leader leaving prison in 1990 
after 27 years of incarceration; 
Whereas, on December 5, 2013, President Mandela died at 
age 95 surrounded by family and loved ones in his home; 
Whereas the United Nations delegates from the countries of 
Spain and Turkey jointly introduced a resolution to des-
ignate July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day; 
Whereas the United States was a proud sponsor of the reso-
lution; 
Whereas when speaking in support of the United Nations res-
olution, Ms. Laura Ross, United States delegate to the 
United Nations stated that ‘‘Mandela used his moral 
power for a moral purpose. He turned enemies into part-
ners, fear into trust, hatred into forgiveness, and dis-
crimination into democracy.’’; and 
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly unanimously 
adopted A/Res/64/13 to designate July 18 as Nelson 
Mandela International Day, beginning in 2010: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) applauds the United Nations General As-
sembly for uniting to honor President Mandela’s 
selfless contribution to international peace and free-
dom; 
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(2) recognizes the global impact of President 
Mandela’s legacy and commitment to nonviolence, 
respect, and dialogue; 
(3) expresses support for the international com-
munity’s recognition of United Nations Nelson 
Mandela International Day; and 
(4) urges all citizens of the United States to re-
flect on the importance of peace, tolerance, democ-
racy, human rights, and reconciliation in honor of 
Nelson Mandela International Day. 
Æ 
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