In the News

 

 

By The Capital Times

 

There is no shortage of stories, articles, documentaries and other remembrances of Nelson Mandela following his death Thursday at age 95.

 

To help pare some of that down for you, the Capital Times has found several items worth checking out if you'd like to read or hear something more (or different) regarding South Africa's first black president.

New York Times columnist David Carr tweeted this on Thursday: 

 

 

Included in Bill Keller's obituary of Mandela: "The question most often asked about Mr. Mandela was how, after whites had systematically humiliated his people, tortured and murdered many of his friends, and cast him into prison for 27 years, he could be so evidently free of spite."

 

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee, who represents Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District, says the world has lost a  human rights hero.

 

According to an Associated Press article, she and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus "met with Mandela in 2005 in Washington. She says it was 'a powerful moment that left an indelible mark.'"

 

Heinz Klug, professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, South African native and former member of South Africa’s ANC Land Commission, was to be on the air on Boston's NPR show "On Point with Tom Ashbrook" on Friday morning to discuss Mandela's life.

 

NPR also put together the story of Mandela in its fascinating, hour-long "Nelson Mandela: An Audio History." According to the site: "'Mandela: An Audio History' tells the story of the struggle against apartheid through rare sound recordings of Mandela himself, as well as those who fought with and against him."

 

In a Huffington Post article, Nick Wing writes about the interesting history of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in the U.S.

 

"The measure passed with bipartisan support, despite strong and largely Republican opposition," Wing writes. "President Ronald Reagan was among those most opposed to the bill, and when he finally vetoed the measure over its support of the ANC (African National Congress), which he maintained was a 'terrorist organization,' it took another vote by Congress to override it. Among the Republicans who repeatedly voted against the measure was future Vice President Dick Cheney, then a Republican congressman from Wyoming."

 

Wing referenced Capital Times Associate Editor John Nichols, who wrote a book about Cheney. Nichols had even spoken to Mandela about Cheney.

 

Nichols said in a 2004 interview that "one of the many reasons that (Mandela) fears Dick Cheney’s power is that in the late 1980s when even prominent Republicans like Jack Kemp and Newt Gingrich were acknowledging the crime of apartheid, Dick Cheney maintained the lie that the ANC was a terrorist organization and a fantasy that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist leader who deserved to be in jail. Frankly it begs very powerful question. If Dick Cheney’s judgment was that bad in the late 1980s, why would we believe that it’s gotten any better in the early 21st century?"

 

And finally, Mandela also had an effect on the fashion industry. According to a report on NPR, "Nelson Mandela helps Madiba shirts to become popular." The story reports: "In practically every image of Nelson Mandela after he became president in 1994, he is wearing a silk, long-sleeved, button-up shirt covered with bright, colorful patterns. Those shirts were custom made by a white South African fashion designer."