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“We Are Worried Mothers:” A Panel Of “Ordinary South Africans” On Us Capitol Hill, Myra Ann Houser
“We Are Worried Mothers:” A Panel Of “Ordinary South Africans” On Us Capitol Hill, Myra Ann Houser
Articles
In 1986, a “panel of ordinary South Africans” addressed members of the US Congress. Their visit did not command as much attention as would the visit of (future president) Nelson Mandela in 1990 or as did (former prime minister) Jan Smuts in 1930. Yet, for an increasing number of Americans watching closely, it represented a momentous public rebuttal to apartheid. The visit responded to ongoing celebrity protests and built public support for sanctions. While many Americans instigating “designer arrests” believed that they spoke for South Africans, in 1986, physicians, activists, and children who had faced detention spoke for themselves on …