UF will honor the legacy of the late South Africa President and philanthropist Nelson Mandela this Friday.
The ceremony falls on the first anniversary of Mandela’s death. At the ceremony, faculty and staff will speak about Mandela’s life in the Ocora Room in Pugh Hall at noon. A tree planting will follow the ceremony in front of Grinter Hall.
The event is being sponsored by the Center for African Studies, the Bob Graham Center for Public Policy, the Samuel Proctor History Program, the African-American Studies Program, the Levin College of Law Center for Race and Race Relations and the African Student Union.
Agnes Leslie, outreach director for the Center for African Studies, said Mandela significantly impacted everyone from students to academia.
“He stressed the value of education. He believed education was the most powerful weapon to change the world,” Leslie said. “Students engage with that belief to this day.”
Faculty and students will reminisce about Mandela’s legacy during the ceremony.
Mandisa Haarhoff, a 27-year-old UF English literature doctoral student, will speak at the ceremony about how Mandela impacted her life and the local community.
“I was born as a born-free South African. Growing up, Mandela’s name became recognizable as a name that brought change and all these wonderful things,” Haarhoff said. “Sharing my story as a pupil will be very useful to fellow students. They can apply Mandela’s principles to their own lives.”
The ceremony is open to all students, faculty and the general public.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 12/4/2014]
