Newsletter Subject
Honoring my namesake, Nelson Mandela
From
mandelabarnes.com
Email Address
contact@mandelabarnes.com
Sent On
Tue, Jul 21, 2020 09:36 PM
Email Preheader Text
{NAME}, This past Saturday would have been my namesake Nelson Mandela’s 102nd birthday. The occ
HTML
{NAME},
This past Saturday would have been my namesake Nelson Mandelaâs 102nd birthday. The occasion always gives me a chance to reflect on how hard he fought to champion the voiceless during his illustrious and consequential life, his influence on my own life, and the relevance of his words even today.
[Nelson Mandela quote]
My father and grandmother were at odds about naming me after a person who, at the time, was still in prison for his anti-apartheid work. Iâm glad my dad won that battle. Who wouldnât want to be associated with someone with that kind of legacy â a revolutionary who sacrificed his freedom to dismantle apartheid in South Africa?
Itâs more than just the name. Itâs everything he stood for and who he stood with. In my life, I work each and every day to emulate the kind of person he was. I take it as an honor, and proudly accept the weight the name Mandela carries. Like Nelson Mandela, standing up for what's right and working in the best interest of everyday people is my guiding principle as a public servant and activist.
If thereâs one lesson to draw from Nelson Mandelaâs life, itâs that change isnât easy. He spent 27 years of his life in prison because he refused to budge on a firm commitment to justice and equality. He knew that our greatest opportunities come from our biggest challenges.
To borrow a phrase from another civil rights icon and hero of mine, Congressman John Lewis, who passed away last weekend at the age of 80 years old, Nelson Mandela understood the necessity of getting into âgood troubleâ. That good trouble culminated with the ending of apartheid, being elected as the first Black President of South Africa, being awarded the Nobel Prize, and leaving a lasting legacy on the world.
I am so proud to share a name with an incredible man, and I pledge to continue striving to live up to his legacy by fighting on the frontlines for racial justice and equity. And Iâm glad to know I can count on you in that fight.
In progress,
Mandela Barnes
Thanks for your commitment to reclaiming Wisconsin in 2020. Emails are an important way for Mandela to communicate with his supporters, but if you no longer wish to receive email updates you can [unsubscribe here.](
[CONTRIBUTE â¨](
Mandela For Wisconsin
P.O. Box 90541
Milwaukee, WI 53209
United States
Paid for by Mandela for Wisconsin
EDM Keywords (76)
world
working
work
wisconsin
weight
want
voiceless
unsubscribe
time
take
supporters
stood
still
someone
share
sacrificed
right
revolutionary
relevance
refused
reflect
proud
prison
pledge
phrase
person
odds
necessity
naming
name
mandela
live
life
legacy
leaving
know
knew
kind
justice
influence
illustrious
honoring
honor
hero
hard
grandmother
glad
getting
frontlines
freedom
fought
fighting
fight
father
everything
equity
equality
ending
emulate
elected
easy
draw
dad
count
communicate
commitment
change
chance
champion
budge
borrow
battle
awarded
associated
apartheid
age
activist