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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Each year, the date of July 18 is recognized as |
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Nelson Mandela International Day, providing a welcome opportunity |
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to celebrate the life of a courageous and inspirational figure who |
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is revered around the globe; and |
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WHEREAS, Born into the Tembu tribe in the Transkei region of |
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South Africa in 1918, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela earned a degree |
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from University College of Fort Hare and studied law at the |
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University of Witwatersrand; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1944, Mr. Mandela joined the African National |
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Congress, and he soon became actively engaged in resistance against |
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the racist apartheid policies of South Africa's ruling National |
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Party; as part of that effort, he helped launch the "Defiance" |
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campaign of civil disobedience in 1952; the government responded by |
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trying him for treason in the late 1950s, though he was ultimately |
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acquitted of that charge; and |
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WHEREAS, After the Sharpeville Massacre of 69 anti-apartheid |
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protestors in 1960, the ANC was banned, and Mr. Mandela began |
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advocating for armed resistance to the government; arrested in |
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1962, he was sentenced to five years of hard labor, and in a |
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separate trial that began the following year, he was sentenced to |
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life in prison; and |
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WHEREAS, From 1964 to 1982, Mr. Mandela was jailed in a small |
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cell on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, and he was later |
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incarcerated at two prisons on the mainland; during his 25 years as |
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a prisoner, he endured harsh conditions while steadfastly refusing |
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to compromise his belief in justice and equal rights for all South |
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Africans; his valiant stand helped strengthen opposition to |
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apartheid, both within South Africa and around the world; and |
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WHEREAS, The anti-apartheid movement achieved one of its |
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greatest victories in 1990, when Mr. Mandela was released from |
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prison, and he soon became a key figure in the negotiations to |
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dismantle the country's unjust system of government; he received |
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the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and the following year he was elected |
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as South Africa's president in the nation's first multiracial |
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election; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2009, the General Assembly of the United Nations |
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voted unanimously to commemorate his birthday each year as Nelson |
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Mandela International Day; this observance emphasizes the ability |
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of individuals to effect positive change in their communities, and |
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it serves as a continuing reminder of the legacy of Mr. Mandela, who |
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passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his life, Nelson Mandela followed |
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a difficult and often lonely path in the pursuit of justice; |
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starting as an idealistic student determined to make his country a |
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better place, he went on to become a resolute and determined |
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prisoner of conscience and, finally, an admired international |
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figure who symbolizes the victory of freedom over oppression; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby recognize July 18, 2017, as |
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Nelson Mandela International Day. |