African History Commons^™

Interview With Clarice Durham, Lauren Ashley Alexander

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 95 minutes

Oral history interview of Clarice Durham by Lauren Ashley Alexander

Clarice Durham recalls her childhood and recounts her work with the Illinois NAACP, The National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberation (NAIMSAL), and as co-chair of the National Alliance Against Racial and Political Oppression. She campaigned for justice in the Scottsboro Boys case in 1931, attended the founding convention of the Progressive Party in 1948, and participated in the March on Washington in 1963. As Durham recaps her trip to South Africa, she recalls the change it had on her and her views of the movement. …

Interview With Funeka Sihlali, Renell Schubert

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 92 minutes

Oral history interview of Funeka Sihlali by Renell Schubert

Ms. Sihlali begins by describing her childhood in King William’s Town when the Apartheid regime was instituted, living in government housing with her family in a single-room house with no bathroom, sharing a toilet with four other households. She explains having to learn the customs which were different from that in her home, for example, to look at African elders was a sign of disrespect, but outside of the home, she had to learn to make eye contact with white people to keep them from seeing her as …

Interview With Otis Cunningham, Danny Fenster

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 98 minutes

Oral history interview of Otis Cunningham by Danny Fenster

Mr. Cunningham begins by explaining what it was like growing up amidst the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago, witnessing the reactions to the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. He explains how he first became involved in activism for African liberation movements when he joined the African-American Solidarity Committee where he served on the editorial board of their journal and he elaborates on the work they did. He recalls the social gatherings that sprung up through the movement. He explains the complicated history and relationships …

Interview With Basil Clunie, Juston Ori

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 73 minutes

Oral history interview of Basil Clunie by Juston Ori

Basil Clunie recalls growing up in New York, attending cricket games, and following the Dodgers baseball team, especially Jackie Robinson. Education was an important part of his family, as his parents came to New York to for education, with his mother earning a degree in math and his father a pharmacy degree. He mentions describes about the organizations he worked with during his time in the anti-apartheid movement and recalls the sparked his activism in 1961. He discusses the 1964 race riots in Harlem, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, …

Interview With Carol Thompson, Marcia Monaco

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 91 minutes

Oral history interview of Carol Thompson by Marcia Monaco

In this interview, Carol Thompson recalls her involvement and work in the anti-apartheid movement. She explains that her awareness of the anti-Apartheid movement began while at Northern Illinois University, but she first became involved after she moved to Chicago, when she met South African author, Donald Woods, which led to her involvement in the Dennis Brutus’ defense committee. She recalls that she initially worked with Clergy and Laity Concerned and later, alongside Prexy Nesbitt, became a founding member of CIDSA, which was committed to passing legislation in Chicago …

Interview With Michael Elliott, Brian Gibson

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 56 minutes

Oral history interview of Mike Siviwe Elliott by Brian Gibson.

Mr. Elliott begins by recounting his childhood in Detroit, raised in a working-class union neighborhood on the west side of the city. He talks about his early challenges in school, attending an alternative school where he received his GED, then attending Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan where he studied political science for three years. He explains how he first became involved in activism, working for the Black Panthers when he was young and serving as chair of the Association of Black Students in college. He recalls how …

Interview With Anne Evens, Beth Thenhaus

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 84 minutes

Oral history interview of Anne Evens by Beth Thenhaus

Ms. Evens begins by recalling her childhood memories, growing up in Evanston with two academic parents. She began her work in activism during high school, demonstrating for stricter gun control laws and against racism. She explains how she first learned about Apartheid South Africa as she learned about the struggle of Palestinian people in Israel and the economic ties between the two countries. She explains how she became involved in anti-Apartheid efforts on her first day of college when she was introduced to the South African Divestment Coalition, …

Interview With Prexy Nesbitt, Erin Mccarthy

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 350 minutes

Oral history interview of Rozell 'Prexy' Nesbitt by Erin McCarthy, PhD in 2009. Transcript created by Katherine Philipson, summer 2017

Prexy Nesbitt recounts his childhood in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, living in the family-owned apartment building with eleven flats and multi-racial family and friends. He speaks about his education at Francis Parker school and his first trip to African while a student at Antioch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he began his anti-apartheid work in the early 1960s,He recalls his years of activism with governments, organizations, and political groups, including the the six liberation …

Mobilizing Against The "Hidden Killers" And Their Legacies: A Talk To The International Committee Of The Red Cross (Icrc) Africa Landmines Seminars, Prexy Nesbitt

Rozell 'Prexy' Nesbitt Writings and Speeches

Prexy Nesbitt, a Chicago-based anti-apartheid activist and educator, delivered this talk on landmines and their effects on African civilians to the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1995 to raise awareness and call for action.

South Africa: The Elections And The Path Ahead, Prexy Nesbitt

Rozell 'Prexy' Nesbitt Writings and Speeches

As the Senior Program Officer for the John D. and catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Prexy Nesbitt, a Chicago-based anti-apartheid activist and educator, wrote this piece covering the 1994 general election in South Africa, the first of which was held with universal adult suffrage.

United Nations Press Release No.10/94, Permanent Mission Of South Africa To The United Nations

1994 South Africa General Election

A press release from the Permanent Mission of south Africa to the United Nations summarizing the winners of the 1994 South Africa General Election.

United Nations Press Release No.08/94, Permanent Mission Of South Africa To The United Nations

1994 South Africa General Election

A press release from the Permanent Mission of south Africa to the United Nations announcing the election results of the 1994 South Africa General Election.

Observing The New South Africa, Orlando Redekopp

1994 South Africa General Election

Orlando Redekopp was an international observer of the 1994 South Africa General Election through the Ecumenical Monitoring Programme in South Africa (EMPSA). Authored by Redekopp, this narrative provides a brief memoir of his time in South Africa monitoring the elections.

Reflections On Elections In South Africa, Orlando Redekopp

1994 South Africa General Election

Orlando Redekopp was an international observer of the 1994 South Africa General Election through the Ecumenical Monitoring Programme in South Africa (EMPSA). Authored by Redekopp, this narrative outlines his analysis of five reflections about the elections and the role of the church and Christians.

South African Elections Manual For International Observers, Independent Electoral Commission

1994 South Africa General Election

A manual produced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for election observers of the 1994 South Africa General Election.

Empsa Daily Reports Of The Town Howick In The Natal Region, Howick Team, Ecumenical Monitoring Programme In South Africa

1994 South Africa General Election

A draft of a report by the Ecumenical Monitoring Programme in South Africa (EMPSA) election monitors (Orlando Redekopp, Ursula Schmidt, Hendrikje Schievink, and Maina Murage) for the 1994 South Africa General Election of the town of Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa from April 14 through April 21, 1994.

The Sacbc Democracy Charts: A Brief Introduction To The New Constitution, Justice And Peac Commission, Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference

1994 South Africa General Election

A booklet created by the South African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) to educate voters of the 1994 South Africa General Election about the new system of government and the new Constitution.

Voter Education Manual, Voter Education And Elections Training Unit, Legal Education Action Project

1994 South Africa General Election

A manual created by the Voter Education and Elections Training Unit (VEETU) and Legal Education Action Project (LEAP) to help educate new voters about the voting process for the 1994 South Africa General Election.

Empsa Guidelines And Principles For Monitoring In South Africa, Ecumenical Monitoring Programme In South Africa

1994 South Africa General Election

Guidelines generated by the Ecumenical Monitoring Programme in South Africa (EMPSA) for official EMPSA election monitors of the 1994 South Africa General Election.

Empsa Rules, Ecumenical Monitoring Programme In South Africa

1994 South Africa General Election

Rules generated by the Ecumenical Monitoring Programme in South Africa (EMPSA) for official EMPSA election monitors of the 1994 South Africa General Election.

The Hour For Democracy Songbook, Institute For Contextual Theology

1994 South Africa General Election

A song booklet created by the Institute for Contextual Theology (ICT) to promote democracy and prepare South Africans for the 1994 general election.

Independent Electoral Commission Code Of Conduct For Observers, Independent Electoral Commission

1994 South Africa General Election

The Independent Electoral Commission’s Code of Conduct for South African election observers for the 1994 South Africa General Election.

Getting Beyond The Elephants: Africa In The 90'S, Prexy Nesbitt

Rozell 'Prexy' Nesbitt Writings and Speeches

As the Senior Consultant for the Mozambique Government, Prexy Nesbitt, a Chicago-based anti-apartheid activist and educator, delivered this address in 1992 at the Africa in the 90's Conference sponsored by the Center for Urban Education at DePaul Univeristy. This address analyzes inaccuracies in the portrayal of Africa as a continent and includes commentary on how international countries, such as the United States, have developed policies related to the continent.

Talk By Prexy Nesbitt To Operation Push, Prexy Nesbitt

Rozell 'Prexy' Nesbitt Writings and Speeches

Prexy Nesbitt, a Chicago-based anti-apartheid activist and educator, delivered this speech to Operation PUSH in 1991 saluting the organization from uninviting Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi from speaking at the forum, due to his associations with the apartheid government and its oppression.

Untitled [Thank You Letter], Basil Clunie, Rachel Rubin, Ruth Bedell

Soweto Day Walkathon

A thank you letter issued to participants of the 1989 Soweto Day Walkathon in Chicago, Illinois.

Soweto Day Walkathon June 17, 1989 Marshall Information Sheet

Soweto Day Walkathon

An information sheet explaining the route and instructions for the marshalls of the 1989 Soweto Day Walkathon in Chicago, Illinois.

Support South African Detainees, Chicago Committee In Solidarity With Southern Africa, Church World Service

Soweto Day Walkathon

A brochure for the Soweto Day 1989 Walkathon in Chicago, Illinois providing information on why activists were marching for this cause, how to join the event, and about imprisoned detainees.

Untitled [National Council Of Churches Information Sheet On Soweto Day]

Soweto Day Walkathon

An information sheet explaining the National Council of Churches' involvment in the Soweto Day observances in Chicago, Illinois between Pentacost (May 14) and Soweto Day (June 16) in 1989.

Save The Date: Help Free South African Detainees, Chicago Committee In Solidarity With Southern Africa, Church World Service

Soweto Day Walkathon

A flyer for the Soweto Day 1989 Walkathon in Chicago, Illinois providing information about the walkathon and rally.

Soweto Day '89 Walkathon

Soweto Day Walkathon

A flyer for the Soweto Day 1989 Walkathon in Chicago, Illinois providing information about the walkathon route and rally.