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Mr. Speaker, I rise at this moment for the House to appropriately acknowledge the life and legacy, the truly extraordinary leadership, of President Nelson Mandela who has passed on to history now but who, during his 95 years, played an extraordinary role in the life of his country and his countrymen. And this Congress played a part in that process through the debates on this floor and through, finally, the passage of sanctions and then, even more so, by overriding the Presidential veto and putting into place sanctions that President Mandela indicated and all recognized played an important role in ending apartheid in South Africa.
There are Members who are no longer Members of the House, some of whom have even passed on themselves. There was Congressman Bill Gray from Philadelphia, who authored the sanctions legislation; Congressman Dellums, who had previously authored and fought side by side; and many members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others, Democrats and Republicans, on the floor of this House who were involved in this activity.
I rise for this Special Order to appropriately pay tribute to the leadership that was exhibited by President Mandela and his African National Congress. I am going to yield to Members for an opportunity for them to reflect on the life of President Mandela. Obviously, we recognize that he was born and that he died, that he went to school and he played certain roles in his profession as a lawyer, but he has also been recognized around the world for the struggle that he led and that he dedicated his life to.
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Mr. Speaker, I met President Mandela on a number of occasions, both in Philadelphia and here in Washington, and when I traveled to Africa with then-President Bill Clinton when Mandela was leading some peace talks in a country that was involved in a great deal of conflict at that time.
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Obviously, there are many segments of Nelson Mandela's life and there was a period, a point, when he was a lawyer. There was a point in which he was leading and involved in negotiations. There was a point in which, upon the police assault on those who gathered in Sharpeville when 69 died, that he took up armed struggle.
And there was a point, after being released from prison, after 27 years, that he was elected President. I embrace the entire legacy. I think it is very much in keeping with our own country's evolution over time, in which you had to deal with the times as they presented themselves.
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And, obviously, when Nelson Mandela looked at the United States, one of the things that he was most interested in was the civil rights struggle in this country, understanding that African Americans who were fighting for the right to vote and for equal justice under the law, we were in a significant minority position demographically; whereas in South Africa, Black South Africans were the overwhelming majority in that country. And he was quite taken that the United States could right itself in such a way, at least legally, against the law that oppressed minorities here in our country, African Americans, in particular. He always was interested in this
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In closing, I would like the House to focus on the transformation of this man who moved from a prison cell to being the President of a nation.
Through his circumstance of 27 years, during which his picture or his name could not be spoken, he became a world figure. He could not have more than one visitor for 30 minutes in a 6-month period, but yet hundreds of thousands have gathered to memorialize him. Delegations from almost 100 countries will go to his funeral and have gone to his home-going celebration. This is a man who traveled a great distance over these 95 years. He had the willingness to fight against oppression, and he had a willingness to reconcile with his oppressors in a way in which all could live in harmony.
He sets a great example for the world, so I thank the House for taking this time to honor his life and legacy.