On 16 June 1976, demonstrators, mostly pupils, were shot dead by apartheid police when more than 10,000 people marched towards Orlando Stadium in Soweto to protest against Bantu Education.
The terrible events of that day and the hundreds more shootings of children in the student uprising of the ensuing 12 months galvanised the liberation struggle in South Africa and its support abroad. South African Youth Day marks the date each year. See sahistory.org.za/article/june-1
Awful moments in history like this demonstrate the importance of future generations learning about the struggle against apartheid, of the life of Mandela and its lessons for human rights and challenging racism – and on taking action for a better world.
That is a key part of the aim of the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation in fundraising to build a Scottish statue of Nelson Mandela in Glasgow, along with an already piloted long term education programme for primary and early secondary pupils. You can donate here.