Nelson Mandela's passing and the ABC connection

Hello colleagues,

As I'm sure you have heard, a great leader and champion of equity and justice has passed on and I am sure we have all taken a personal moment to acknowledge Nelson Mandela's impact on the world.

I am not sure if it is common knowledge, but the ABC School District has a unique connection to South Africa and some of the schools and educators in that sister country. In fact, a team of administrators and four students from Manenberg, South Africa visited our schools and students during the month of October. We continue to bridge and exchange our experiences about how we can all educate our youth about HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, ABC continues to work with administrative and teacher teams from South Africa on how to work collaboratively to further our mission of mentoring life long learners. 

Our connection started prior to 2010, but it was solidified by a working visit to South Africa in the summer of 2010. After a couple of years of planning by past president of ABCFT Laura Rico and financing by an AIDS Grant from the American Federation of Teacher we were able to visit South Africa. ABC teacher Rich Saldana, Laura Rico, assistant principal Dale Williams, then deputy superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu, and myself were honored to spend time in South Africa among its very gracious educators as we learned about culture, history, and the educational challenges in South Africa. During our stay we were able to visit schools and homes in some of the poorest areas adjacent to Cape Town which all culminated at a ceremony at Manenberg High School where our delegation was honored. The ABC team made the commitment to continue our exchange of experiences with AIDS awareness and best teaching practices with the educators of South Africa.

However, I'm sure if you asked anyone one of us from the delegation, they would tell you that one of the most emotional and inspirational moments for the team were visiting the Cape Town historical museums to learn about apartheid and the anti-apartheid movement. Our historical education climaxed with our visit to Robben Island, the island  where the anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandel was imprisoned for 18 years. On that island we witnessed the evidence of physical and emotional hardship that was inflicted on Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the anti-aparthied movement. The way he transcended his prison experiences and took the higher ground was his greatest inspiration. The reason  "Madiba's" (Nelson Mandela) continues to be an inspiration was because of the way he forgave and did not punish the apartheid leaders with the violence they has unleashed on populations of color in South Africa. Much like our own Abraham Lincoln he saw that the only way for lasting peace and prosperity for all was to forgive the wounds of the past. That is why he was a great human being and he will continue to inspire millions around the world to champion equity and equality.

Keep a piece of Mandela's mission alive as you continue to be the very best teachers, nurses, staff, and administrators for our students.

Respectfully,

Ray Gaer, President ABC Federation of Teachers