Taking a Stand Against Injustice in Literature

Taking a stand in life means developing the backbone to stand for what one believes is important. It is right to take a stand when freedom is being deprived and for independence. Viktor E. Frank once said, “It is not freedom from conditions, but it is the freedom to take a stand toward the conditions.” For instance, Nelson Mandela, who was the first black President of South Africa, demonstrated taking a stand for freedom by staying in jail. Mandela was born on July 28, 1918 in a small village, Mvezu, in the Eastern Cape. Growing up he learnt of the unfair discrimination faced by non-whites living in South Africa and wanted to help end this discrimination. Mandela later went to study law at the University of the Witwatersrand. Apartheid was introduced in 1948 by the National Part which was a harsh system that gave little opportunities to non-white people and took away their basic human rights such as education. Mandela was elected President of the African National Congress Youth League in 1951. He first encouraged nonviolent protests as he wanted to follow Mahatma Gandhi's example but as this did not work, they later on used more violent tactics. The apartheid government then labeled Mandela and the other civil rights activists as terrorists. Soon he was arrested by the government and was sentenced to jail. He spent 27 years in jail and during that time became a significant symbol to the people of South Africa and gained international support as there were worldwide protests against the aparthied government. The fight against the aparthied government was a success due to local and international pressure and on February 11, 1990, F.W. de Klerk, who was South Africa’s president at that time, released Nelson Mandela from jail. Together they worked to end apartheid by abolishing apartheid laws, freeing civil rights protestors and unbanning political parties. Freedom is a need that humans can not abstain from and without Nelson Mandela's fight for freedom, many could not live freely and equally right now.

Injustice will never change if we keep it hidden, but only when we bring it into the light to see it. For example, Bryan Stevenson, the director of Equal Justice Initiative, showed standing up for injustice, by acknowledging slavery. Born in 1959, Stevenson grew up in Milton, Delaware Stevenson's family attended the Prospect African Methodist Episcopal Church. When he grew up, he founded the Equal Justice Initiative and became very popular. The Equal Justice Initiative offices are near the landing at the Alabama River where slaves were unloaded in the domestic slave trade which was one of the largest slave-auction sites in the country. In downtown Montgomery, there were dozens of historic markers and numerous monuments related to Confederate history, but nothing acknowledging the history of slavery, on which the wealth of the South was based on. He proposed to the state and gave documentation to recognize three slavery sites with historic markers, but was denied because it was contorversial. Stevenson decided to work with an African-American history group to gain sponsorship for this project and they gained state approval for the three markers in 2013, and these have been installed in Montgomery. By taking a stand for injustice against the historic importance of slavery in Montgomery, people will now be able to learn of the past. When it's right, taking a stand for injustice and freedom is the right thing to do. Without taking a stand for these things, life would be meaningless and empty. One must always stand up for what is right, even if they have to do it alone.