July 18 is Nelson Mandela’s birthday. It’s also “a global call to action for people to recognize their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them.”
Photo: MastaBaba
This coming Saturday, Nelson Mandela will celebrate his 91st birthday.
On the same day, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the organization 46664 are inviting people everywhere to honor Mandela’s legacy of social struggle and change by participating in Mandela Day, a global call to service and celebration.
The sponsors of Mandela Day ask how you can spend 67 minutes (representative of the number of years Mandela has been engaged in social justice work) giving back to your community. Their website provides ideas about volunteer opportunities, or invites you to share your own by making your commitment to volunteer public.
New York City is the hub of this year’s celebrations, and if you’re in town, you can stop by Grand Central to take in a powerful art installation or attend a massive concert at Radio City that will feature Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, Angelique Kidjo, and the Soweto Gospel Choir, among many other artists.
Community Connection:
To read about Mandela’s 90th birthday celebration, check out this article from our archives. And to learn more about Mandela’s work–and nine other inspiring people–check out “10 Revolutionary Acts of Courage by Ordinary People.”
Julie Schwietert
Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator currently in New York, formerly of Mexico City and San Juan. She is Matador's managing editor and is the lead faculty member of MatadorU's travel writing program.
-
http://wayworded.blogspot.com/ Hal
Connect with Facebook
