H.R. No. 34

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Each year, the date of July 18 is recognized as
	Nelson Mandela International Day, providing a welcome opportunity
	to celebrate the life of a courageous and inspirational figure who
	is revered around the globe; and
	WHEREAS, Born into the Tembu tribe in the Transkei region of
	South Africa in 1918, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela earned a degree
	from University College of Fort Hare and studied law at the
	University of Witwatersrand; and
	WHEREAS, In 1944, Mr. Mandela joined the African National
	Congress, and he soon became actively engaged in resistance against
	the racist apartheid policies of South Africa's ruling National
	Party; as part of that effort, he helped launch the "Defiance"
	campaign of civil disobedience in 1952; the government responded by
	trying him for treason in the late 1950s, though he was ultimately
	acquitted of that charge; and
	WHEREAS, After the Sharpeville Massacre of 69 anti-apartheid
	protestors in 1960, the ANC was banned, and Mr. Mandela began
	advocating for armed resistance to the government; arrested in
	1962, he was sentenced to five years of hard labor, and in a
	separate trial that began the following year, he was sentenced to
	life in prison; and
	WHEREAS, From 1964 to 1982, Mr. Mandela was jailed in a small
	cell on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, and he was later
	incarcerated at two prisons on the mainland; during his 25 years as
	a prisoner, he endured harsh conditions while steadfastly refusing
	to compromise his belief in justice and equal rights for all South
	Africans; his valiant stand helped strengthen opposition to
	apartheid, both within South Africa and around the world; and
	WHEREAS, The anti-apartheid movement achieved one of its
	greatest victories in 1990, when Mr. Mandela was released from
	prison, and he soon became a key figure in the negotiations to
	dismantle the country's unjust system of government; he received
	the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and the following year he was elected
	as South Africa's president in the nation's first multiracial
	election; and
	WHEREAS, In 2009, the General Assembly of the United Nations
	voted unanimously to commemorate his birthday each year as Nelson
	Mandela International Day; this observance emphasizes the ability
	of individuals to effect positive change in their communities, and
	it serves as a continuing reminder of the legacy of Mr. Mandela, who
	passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Nelson Mandela followed
	a difficult and often lonely path in the pursuit of justice;
	starting as an idealistic student determined to make his country a
	better place, he went on to become a resolute and determined
	prisoner of conscience and, finally, an admired international
	figure who symbolizes the victory of freedom over oppression; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
	Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby recognize July 18, 2017, as
	Nelson Mandela International Day.
	Giddings
	Straus Goldman Oliverson
	Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega
	Alonzo González of El Paso Paddie
	Alvarado Gooden Parker
	Anchia Guerra Paul
	Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez
	Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan
	Arévalo Hefner Phillips
	Ashby Hernandez Pickett
	Bailes Herrero Price
	Bell Hinojosa Raney
	Bernal Holland Raymond
	Biedermann Howard Reynolds
	Blanco Huberty Rinaldi
	Bohac Hunter Roberts
	Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar
	Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis
	Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
	Burns Johnson of Harris Rose
	Burrows Kacal Sanford
	Button Keough Schaefer
	Cain King of Hemphill Schofield
	Canales King of Parker Schubert
	Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen
	Clardy Klick Sheffield
	Coleman Koop Shine
	Collier Krause Simmons
	Cook Kuempel Smithee
	Cortez Lambert Springer
	Cosper Landgraf Stephenson
	Craddick Lang Stickland
	Cyrier Larson Stucky
	Dale Laubenberg Thierry
	Darby Leach Thompson of Brazoria
	Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Harris
	Davis of Harris Lozano Tinderholt
	Dean Lucio III Turner
	Deshotel Martinez Uresti
	Dukes Metcalf VanDeaver
	Dutton Meyer Villalba
	Elkins Miller Vo
	Faircloth Minjarez Walle
	Fallon Moody White
	Farrar Morrison Wilson
	Flynn Muñoz, Jr. Workman
	Frank Murphy Wray
	Frullo Murr Wu
	Geren Neave Zedler
	Gervin-Hawkins Nevárez Zerwas
	Giddings Oliveira
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 34 was adopted by the House on July 18,
	2017, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House