“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough”
On Saturday February 18th, several sponsors hosted a Civility Summit here at East Carolina University. Keynote speaker Ndaba Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela and co-founder of the Africa Rising Foundation, discussed the importance of Africa and the significance of taking action in your community.
Opening the Summit, Mandela recited from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.” He told us of his work with the United Nations HIV/AIDS division and revealed that both of his parents passed away from the disease. Many people urged Nelson Mandela to tell the public that his son passed away from something other than AIDS to protect his reputation. However, the Mandela’s became the first prominent family to admit having lost someone to AIDS, changing perceptions along the way.
When Ndaba Mandela first came to America he was shocked that American people had no idea what Africa was really all about. Ndaba went to Disneyland and one of the ride attendants asked Ndaba how big the lions are in South Africa. Ndaba replied “I don’t know, I don’t work at the zoo.” He also encountered a person who said he was afraid to travel to South Africa because of all of the wars. Ndaba explained to him that South Africa wasn’t a violent nation. These misperceptions pushed him and others to start the Africa Rising Foundation. The Africa Rising Foundation is an organization created to showcase the real Africa and to encourage people to work with Africa nations to foster better understanding of its issues, culture, and challenges. Mandela spoke at length about dreams — “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough”. He says that dreams can be scary and difficult to achieve but by bringing passion to your aspirations it becomes worth the risks. Ndaba’s closing line of this opening lecture was “It is in our hands to make the world a better place”.
After the lecture were four small group sessions to attend including LBGT — Trans Issues, Race Relations, Gender Equity, and Community Activism. I attended the Race Relations and Gender Equity sessions (the other two were happening simultaneously). Topics in the Race Relations session included: how race is a social construct, white privilege, the lack of African-American history taught in U.S. schools, and institutionalized racism. Discussions around respecting/understanding people and how being uncomfortable is a good thing were all civil and provided a wide range of opinions. Lunch was served after this first session.
The second group session I joined was titled Gender Equity. Students discussed numerous issues affecting both men and women. Topics included the wage gap, the tampon tax and the difference in prices for products for men vs women, maternity and paternity leave, gender roles, the separation of gender roles in same sex parenting. We discussed hyper-masculinity, the stigma surrounding feminism, religion and gender roles, and North Carolina’s HB2.
At 5pm all gathered back in Hendrix Theatre. A panel of speakers from each session along with Mr. Mandela briefly described how their sessions went and what was discussed. In the LGBT — Trans Issues session students talked about fixing Transgender issues in this country and how ECU can bridge the gap between Trans students and the University. The Community Activism session discussed the difference between effective and ineffective activism and how not all activism consists of physically protesting. They also talked about how activism doesn’t have instant gratification and fighting for something you’re passionate about takes time and patience. At the Global Community session a representative of Grey’s Advertising lead a conversation about how nonviolent communication and civil discourse can help achieve your goals.
Closing the Summit, Ndaba spoke briefly about things we should remember from the event. He said, “don’t let anyone put you in a box or constrict you”. Ndaba explained that students have all the power at their University — without students, ECU or any other college, can’t function. It’s all in our hands to change our campus because we are the ones affected by the decisions made. Lastly, Mr. Mandela told us about activism and making a change in your community. “Have confidence to stand in the fire”.