Week 4: King vs. Mandela

The significant difference in American and African culture is immediately revealed when reading about the early lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. King was born 11 years later than Mandela, yet the Civil Rights Act banning segregation and discrimination passed in 1964, and the period of apartheid ended when ANC under Mandela won the election in 1994. Although this 30 year gap may be partly attributed to Mandela's imprisonment, it also reveals a lack of development in South Africa. I find it interesting that Mandela, born the son of chief Mphakanyiswa of the Thembu tribe, was the first in his family to receive formal education. King was born into a family with a history of education and at 25 years of age became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where he came to national prominence in the US after Park's arrest. They both received a Nobel Peace Prize in their lifetimes. Although they played a role in completely different scenarios in different countries, Mandela and King both fought for a common cause: racial harmony and equal opportunity for all.
"People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society." -Nelson Mandela
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” -MLK Jr.
It is clear that these men were willing to sacrifice everything they had for the freedom of their people. They passionately and peacefully fought for equality, and I think this is what made their efforts so influential; their focus on peace. These quotes speak volumes to me because it takes great character to be so forgiving of those who do us wrong and seek peace even when confronted with violence. Both men saw that love, forgiveness, and peace were the only routes to change, to success, to equality.