^{Photo Courtesy of The New York Times}

Nelson Mandela, the globally recognized champion of human rights, helped to shape his nation, the African continent, and the entire world. His work of bringing community together against hatred and intolerance aligns perfectly with the mission of Not In Our Town, and he will continue to serve as inspiration for us along with countless others.

Mandela grew up in a society which considered him, at best, a second-class citizen. Apartheid--literally, “apartness” in Afrikaans--was the law, a system which favored the small minority of white South Africans. The much larger black population was ghettoized, restricted from voting, and received inferior social services to the white Afrikaners. After studying law in university, Mandela became involved in anti-colonial politics, and at the age of 44, he was convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the all-white government and sentenced to life in prison for planning to overthrow the all-white government. He would spend the next 27 years locked away, but even these decades behind bars couldn’t quell his activist spirit, as he continued to fight for human rights from his jail cell.

One of Mandela’s most remarkable traits has always been his disavowal of vengeance, despite enduring a lifetime of injustices. After his release from prison, he was elected president of South Africa in 1994, in the first national elections where anyone of age could vote, regardless of skin color.  Mandela set a national tone of compassion and forgiveness as he worked to rebuild a broken and divided country.

He helped to create the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a means of restorative justice: the truth about about human rights abuses committed during the apartheid-era could be brought to light, with the intention being to seek atonement for the victims rather than castigate the perpetrators. This landmark effort required patience and support from individuals in each community, and serves as a model for the reconciliation efforts of other countries as well as for Not In Our Town.

The same year Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, Not In Our Town was born in the small town of Billings, MT. There, the entire community stood together as one against intolerance, channelling many of the same peaceful tactics used by anti-apartheid activists thousands of miles away. Now, twenty years later, we continue to follow Mandela’s mission of working together, stopping hate, and building safe, inclusive environments for all.

“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela