America’s Apartheid Moment?

www.ozy.com [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright [Daily Dose]( Sponsored by [Cariuma]( The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Jun 30, 2022 Today For anti-abortion activists, the Supreme Court’s decision last week to overturn Roe v. Wade was a monumental victory. Meanwhile, according to Pew Research, [61% of Americans]( believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. For nearly 50 years, Americans had a constitutional right to privacy regarding their reproductive decisions; now, no such right exists. Today’s Daily Dose turns to two longtime OZY contributors from Cape Town, South Africa, for a global perspective on this American moment. – Bev and the OZY team [Trust the numbers]( [Cariuma]( We’ve told you how good these shoes are, but if you don’t want to take our word for it, or the words of over 15,000 5-star reviewers… consider this. [Over 61,000 people]( were on the wait list to get their hands on these, and they are now back in stock. (For now.) Take your choice of over 10 colors and if you use the code OZY2022, you also [get an exclusive $15 off](. Do it now! [Shop Now]( End of Roe no surprise to South Africans For millions of Americans, the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade represents a backsliding of rights. Many pregnant Americans today have fewer rights over their bodies than their grandmothers did. Yet, for students of South Africa’s long and checkered relationship with multiracial democracy, the idea of a top court rolling back long-established rights is familiar. In the first elections in the Cape Colony in 1854, men of all races could vote, provided they owned property worth £25 — a fairly low bar, even then. The colony started off with one of the most liberal constitutions in the British empire, but subsequent politicians would chip away at it, changing the voting requirements and denying the vote to “natives” who lived on communal land. By 1936 all “native” Black males had been stripped of the right to vote after a constitutional amendment. Twelve years later, when right-winger D.F. Malan was elected prime minister, “total apartheid” was implemented. In the 1950s the apartheid government packed the Supreme Court of Appeal with five new right-wing judges in order to overcome the court’s[liberal wing](. This was done specifically to remove the last people of color remaining on the voters’ roll. These men of mixed-race heritage could be removed only by a constitutional amendment which the court would have to ratify. In the first case in 1952, the court found that the Separate Representation of Voters Act — which sought to exclude people of color from the voters’ roll — was “invalid, null and void and of no legal force and effect.” In 1957, however, the Separate Representation of Voters Act returned to the now-packed Supreme Court of Appeal, and even the liberal Chief Justice Albert van der Sandt Centlivres gave in to pressure from the apartheid government and sided with the political appointees to give the victory to the doctrine of apartheid. Judge Oliver Schreiner, however, refused to betray his beliefs and wrote a [scathing dissenting judgment](. [What do supermodel Nina Adgel, comedian Pete Davidson, and actress Helen Mirren have in common?]( [Cariuma]( They've all been seen stepping out at A-list celebrity events in comfy and stylish [Cariuma]( sneakers. It's no wonder, with bold and saturated colors that are fashion-first and Internet-famous, that these are the shoes of the moment. But you don't have to pay celebrity prices with us. [Use the code OZY2022 and save $15!](. [Shop Now]( WATCH GLORIA STEINEM on [The Carlos Watson Show](! Warning to America: Freedom is not inevitable South Africa’s political regression from liberal democracy is the core theme of our book[“Spoilt Ballots](.” The key message: An expansion of rights should never be taken for granted. It is up to the citizens to safeguard any advances achieved by previous generations. As Vice President Kamala Harris [said]( immediately after the Roe reversal: “The great aspiration of our nation has been to expand freedom.” But, she noted, the expansion of freedom is not inevitable. With the packing of the court in South Africa, legal precedent went largely neglected. With free rein over the country, the apartheid government then stripped the rights to interracial marriage and freedom of expression, and instituted a policy of detention without trial. That history should serve as a warning to America. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has sparked worries of a similar regression in the U.S., especially over gay rights and contraception. As Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in [his concurring judgment](: “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell … We have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.” In South Africa, before and during apartheid, white men systematically took away the rights and freedoms of people of color. In the U.S. today, men are taking away the rights and freedoms of women. As Nelson Mandela said: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Regular OZY contributors Matthew Blackman and Nick Dall are the authors of two books on South African history:[Rogues’ Gallery]( and[Spoilt Ballots](. Community Corner What idea, innovation, person, or theme would you love to read about on OZY? Share your thoughts with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com. ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( A Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](