Apartheid and the American Civil Rights Movement

In schools in America we don't normally get the chance to learn about Apartheid, South Africa's former system of strict race segregation, and its long history. Personally, I don't think I ever learned about Apartheid in school, though we did touch briefly on Nelson Mandela and his life. We can understand both American and South African histories by connecting Apartheid and the American Civil Rights movement. Many students in the US seem uninterested in learning about Civil Rights. Maybe the millennial generation feels that history does not affect them. Perhaps using Apartheid to teach Civil Rights could spark more interest among millennials.

You could also connect Mandela Day on July 18, Mandela's birthday, to Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 16, as both are days to celebrate key figures that helped end segregation. Blacks and whites were segregated in South Africa during Apartheid with separate houses, stores, restrooms, restaurants, and schools just as they were at one time in Jim Crow America. These are two examples of how teachers could encourage comparisons between parallel civil rights movements and foster interest among students.

In South Africa, blacks who opposed the government during the Apartheid were shot or imprisoned. This reminded me of how during the Civil Rights movement in America black houses were often set on fire. South Africa today honors and adores Nelson Mandela much like how we honor. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham Jail asserting the need for the Civil Rights movement reminded me of similar writings, from prison, by Mandela. I was blessed to be in South Africa for Mandela Day, where you are supposed to perform public service to honor Mandela's legacy. In the United States, we view Martin Luther King, Jr. day as a day off from work and a 3-day weekend, and we have lost sight of why we celebrate that day. Perhaps it should, instead, be commemorated with a day of service. My hope is that by connecting Apartheid and its history to the Civil Rights movement we will gain a new appreciation for key figures in the American Civil Rights movement.