July 18th marked Mandela Day and would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday. People around the world used this day to reflect on the impact he’s made throughout his life. Mandela is up there along with prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi for his efforts to end apartheid, achieve social justice and equality, and eliminating poverty in the world.
Mandela once said,
“Overcoming poverty is not an act of charity. It is an act of justice.”
2018 is the Year of Mandela and we celebrate Mandela by appreciating the legacy he left behind and continuing to amplify the issues to which he addressed during his presidency and beyond:
- Access to education for youth
- Advocacy for women’s rights and their participation in politics
- Promotion of peace
- Fighting the AIDS epidemic in South Africa
President Barack Obama visited South Africa and delivered a lecture in honor of Mandela Day and echoed the need to respect human rights and democracy to a live audience of 15,000 and reaching millions more through televised programming. I’m very excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for #Mandela100, especially during the Global Citizen Festival Mandela 100.
A Healthy Blueprint 