The Burton Wire Happy Hour kicked off with founder & editor-in-chief Dr. Nsenga K. Burton and friend/colleague Dr. Kanika Bell as they discussed topics related to gender, politics and pop culture. “A word” was said on the subject of Senator Kamala Harris, rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion and murdered EMT Breonna Taylor, whose killers have still not been arrested. Check us out here:
Writing for Courier Newsroom, The Burton Wire‘s founder & editor-in-chief Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. discusses finding out Senator Kamala Harris would be named Vice-President by presumptive 2020 Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden and the Democratic Party while picking up her daughter and what that means for Black women and girls everywhere. Read an excerpt below:
EXCERPT
I received the text alert just before picking up my daughter from school. On Tuesday, California Sen. Kamala Harris was chosen to be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate.
Not only had Harris made history as the first Black and South Asian American vice-presidential candidate, but the choice also signaled that the Democratic Party finally recognized the work Black women have done in and for the party since gaining the right to vote.
But, for me, the choice of Harris for VP meant so much more.
My daughter and I held hands and skipped to the car—even with my bad knee. I buckled her in and gave her snacks.
“Kai,” I said, smiling, “we have a vice-presidential candidate who looks like us.”
Kai is four, so she didn’t know what I meant. “What, Mommy?”
I pulled up a news article on my cell phone and showed her a picture of Harris.
“She looks like you,” Kai replied excitedly. “Mommy, she looks like you! She looks like me.”
My elation turned to tears when I realized my daughter and other Black and brown girls in this country finally have the opportunity to see themselves as someone who could someday be vice president of the United States.
I cried because I was relieved. In this current social climate ripe with anti-Black racism and rampant sexism, I had worried about who Biden would choose to join him in the fight to take back the White House. Despite the long list of qualified candidates, I wasn’t convinced Biden would actually select a Black woman. Although Black women have given so much to this country in a myriad of ways, I wasn’t sure it would matter.
Greenleaf finale airs August 11, 2020 at 9 p.m. EST.
Lady Mae Greenleaf (Lynn Whitfield) and Bishop James Greenleaf (Keith David) embrace. OWN’s Greenleaf finale airs August 11, 2020 at 9 p.m. EST.
LOS ANGELES – The stars of OWN’s hit megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” the critically-acclaimed series from Lionsgate, award-winning writer/executive producer Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”), and executive producers Clement Virgo (“Empire”), Kriss Turner Towner (“Black Monday”) and Oprah Winfrey, will take an look back at the beloved show in a one-hour special airing Tuesday, August 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following the series finale. The special will feature “Greenleaf” cast including Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans sharing favorite moments from the past five seasons and answering questions from the devoted fans.
The penultimate (8/4/20) episode of “Greenleaf” garnered a season-high 2,117,000 viewers and continued to be Tuesday night’s #1 cable telecast among Women 25-54 and W18-49. During its current season, “Greenleaf” is the #1 original series across broadcast and cable for African American women, households and total viewers.
Watch a clip from the final episode of “Greenleaf” airing Tuesday, August 11 at 9p.m. ET/PT:
“Greenleaf” has garnered ten NAACP Image Award nominations, including wins for Outstanding Drama Series in 2020, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and 2020 (Lynn Whitfield). The series has also been recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Allen Awards and by the Black Reel Awards for Television.
Greenleaf stars Merle Dandridge as Grace Greenleaf; Keith David as Bishop James Greenleaf; Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae Greenleaf; Kim Hawthorne as Kerissa Greenleaf; Lamman Rucker as Jacob Greenleaf; and Deborah Joy Winans as Charity Greenleaf-Satterjee.
“Greenleaf” is produced for OWN by Lionsgate in association with Harpo Films and Pine City. Executive producers are Oprah Winfrey, Craig Wright, Kriss Turner Towner, and Clement Virgo.
A “Greenleaf” spinoff, currently in development with Lionsgate, was announced in May 2020.
Viewers can now catch up on the show’s complete four seasons on Netflix.
Podthon Panelists - July 18, 2018. (Photo: Podthon)
Podthon Panelists – July 2020. (Photo: Podthon)
Amid the global pandemic, the demand for media content to fill our “free” time has steadily increased. There are now a multitude of streaming networks, and live video has become a staple. Just when we thought we’ve reached our media limits, podcast listening made a comeback after an early slump with the halting of regular commutes.
Ad dollars for podcasting suffered an initial COVID-19 hit, but the industry is beginning to bounce back. A new IAB and PricewaterhouseCooper’s full-year podcast ad revenue study projects advertising revenues to reach 14.7% year over year to the tune of $1 billion in 2020. This space has also seen a plethora of podcast conferences, which translates to both learning and speaking opportunities. Essentially, podcasting is big business.
While this study means opportunities for many podcasters as a whole are in abundance, such options are often absent for podcasters of color. The dearth of diverse voices at conferences is no secret – and this is precisely what podcasters Lee Uehara and Danielle Desir sought to solve by creating Podthon, a virtual conference hosted by the Women of Color (WOC) Podcasters and the Asian American Podcasters Association (AAP).
“We started Podthon because we wanted to create our own opportunity for podcasters of color to speak on stage after seeing so many speaker submission rejections from the larger industry conferences,” said Uehara, who also co-founded AAPC. “That’s our general message to everyone — go out and create your own opportunities.”
Standing out in a space that seems saturated with conferences requires innovative thinking. As such, Desir, co-founder of WOC Podcasters, says they seek speakers who provide fresh and innovative information.
“We pride ourselves on sourcing speakers who can speak to topics that are outside of the norm. This year, Norman Chella shared how to break into the Asian podcast market and Tracey Nguyen Mang shared how to find grants to fund your podcast. Both topics we have never seen discussed in the podcasting space before.”
Desir also noted that among the offerings were two keynote panels, where podcast event organizers and podcast news editors shared how to craft press releases and secure speaking gigs at larger podcast conferences. Both Desir and Uehara assert that Podthon’s virtual venue is attractive to attendees in part because it cuts down on travel and lodging costs, allowing participants and speakers to attend from any location.
At its core, Podthon acts as an incubator for podcasters of color to network and hone speaking skills.
“One of the pillars of our mission is to coach speakers, who may need a little help, so that they go on to larger stages with confidence,” said Uehara. “So, part of our vision is to continue to offer fantastic presentations from podcasters of color who then go on to become even greater speakers.”
As for Podthon’s future direction, the pair intend to expand to offerings outside of the set conference time frame.
“We’re working on other exciting things such as our monthly Round Table Series (RTS) — the next is self-publishing for podcasters” Uehara said.
It’s clear that there are barriers preventing podcasters of color from being called on to share their expertise. In the Harvard Business Review, Ruchika Tulshyan writes about challenging such exclusion by recognizing and acknowledging “the systematic barriers holding back people of color (especially) from being recognized as experts.”
Based on the impressive speaker roster, it appears that Podthon’s founders are up for the challenge.
This post was written by Dr. Chetachi A. Egwu, Communication Faculty at University of Maryland University College. Dr. Egwu’s scholarship focuses on media, tech and pop culture and the African image in film, with an emphasis on documentary. The Howard University alumna is the host of the livestreamed show MediaScope, co-host of the podcast TV Channeling and co-creator of And We’re Live. Follow her on Twitter @Tachiada.
Photo appears courtesy of Two Dollars and a Dream. (Stanley Nelson)
Photo appears courtesy of Two Dollars and a Dream. (Stanley Nelson)
WORLD Channel, the award-winning broadcast channel and multi-platform outlet dedicated to bringing diverse content to public media audiences, invites viewers to join acclaimed documentarian Stanley Nelson and author A’Lelia Bundles – the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker – for a special online screening and discussion on Monday, August 10. The two will discuss the need for representation and accuracy in storytelling as well as the true story of Bundles’ ancestor, the trailblazing businesswoman and hair and beauty icon who became the first self-made female millionaire in the United States, and fact versus fiction in the films on her life.
The conversation will be followed by an online screening of Two Dollars and a Dream, Nelson’s documentary on the life of Madam C.J. Walker, which was the first film to examine Walker’s life. In Two Dollars and a Dream, Nelson traces Walker’s rise from her humble beginnings as the child of enslaved parents to become America’s first self-made female millionaire. As the grandson of Freeman B. Ransom, the attorney for Walker and the general manager for the Walker hair care company, Nelson was able to interview the men and women who worked with Walker and knew her and her empire best; the sales representatives, office assistants and executives who helped the beauty pioneer run her company.
The film also devotes attention to Walker’s role as the nation’s first Black philanthropist and her commitment to promoting the empowerment of the Black community as well as her daughter A’Lelia Walker’s role as a patron of the Harlem Renaissance. See a trailer below:
The 1987 film is Nelson’s debut work and marked the start of a career that would go on to include films such as Freedom Riders (2010),The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015), The Murder of Emmett Till (2003) and Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019).
An award-winning journalist and author, Bundles joins the screening event and discussion to speak about the real story and legacy of her great-great-grandmother, Madam C.J. Walker. Author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, which offered inspiration to the Netflix series on Walker, Self Made, Bundles, along with Nelson, will discuss Walker and her contemporaries while also addressing the need for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) representation at all levels in storytelling. The virtual discussion will be hosted by Emmy-nominated journalist Tina Martin, the host of the WORLD series “Local, USA.”
Promotional collateral for A’Lelia Bundles and Stanley Nelson’s discussion of Madam C.J. Walker on World Channel.
The special virtual event and screening of Two Dollars and a Dream will be held on Monday, August 10 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Viewers can register for the free event here or visit worldchannel.org/events. An audience Q& A with Nelson and Bundles will follow the screening of Two Dollars and a Dream.
This post was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire.
2020 U.S. Democratic Vice-President Hopefuls.
Photo: TBW
As Election Day approaches there is an unusual hush over the nation. It is not the hush of productivity though; it is the hush of distraction. We as a community seem to have the attention span of a gnat. Unable to focus on what’s most important because we are bombarded daily with content masquerading as facts or information that is useful for daily living.
COVID-19 and its ominous presence among us has overtaken our psyche, news hour and newsfeed. Opinions run the gambit – from it’s a hoax to we’re all gonna die, and while neither of these extremes is true, it’s a foreboding of what is to come.
The “Rona” has interrupted summer vacations, graduations, weddings, anniversaries and disrupted how we pay our respects to those we have lost. A heinous and ubiquitous pall has been cast over our lives because of it. Yet, life goes on. Spring still turned to summer. Summer will surely turn to fall and so on. The earth reminds us that no matter what – we must continue.
The upcoming elections are probably one of the most critical in our lifetime. We cannot be distracted by Will and Jada or any table of any color. We cannot allow the shenanigans of even our President to keep us from what is now our most solemn duty – voting.
President Obama was a community organizer. This singular skill set, among many other gifts and talents embedded in his leadership skill portfolio, won him the election. He knew and still advocates that if we have an issue with any elected official, we must express our support or displeasure at the polls. This election year is no different in recognizing that fundamental truth.
Many have heard all this before, but it now bears repeating – too many have given their lives for us to have the right to have a say in who leads this country for us to stay home.
So, let’s deal with the folks that are demanding Joe Biden select an African American VP and if he doesn’t, then they won’t vote.
2020 United States Vice-Presidential Candidates. (Photos: Google Images)
First of all, that’s like arranged child marriages. Who enjoys being told who to love? No one. Yep, I’m mixing metaphors here because while we can make suggestions and even strong recommendations, this is not our call to make. The person selected must be able to work with Joe, agree with his agenda and not mind being a part of his team. There’s more to consider than the photo-op and historicity of the matter. Are there qualified African American names that should make Biden’s VP short list? Yes. Should we advocate that they do? Yes. Should there be anything that keeps us from voting for Biden even if he doesn’t select a Black woman? No. Here’s why: we have for better or worse, a two-party political system that demands we vote for one of two candidates. Period. Staying home this time, only ensures the victory of the incumbent and in no way hurts the candidate running against him.
Don’t be that naïve. Don’t be that extreme either. You hate your boss, but you still take your Black self to work. You deal with people every day you wouldn’t necessarily hang out with after work or on a weekend. Same premise, different scenario. Don’t suddenly be so high and mighty that you cut off more than your nose to spite your face and risk four more years of flagrant disregard for truth and belligerent ignorance masquerading as leadership. Americans have lost so much in the last four years that it will take at least two competent, 24/7/365, terms just to get us back to Obama metrics on any issue: climate change, gender equality, arms agreements, social justice, financial market stability and let’s not even mention our overall standing in the world as a true global power for good and not comedy and memes.
The real world is happening right in front of us. You can pretend that by voting Democrat for every category except President or writing in some overlooked candidates’ name is doing something, but it really is only making you feel better or righteous and sending your vote for president straight to the incumbent.
So here’s what we can expect:
There will be voter suppression. It has been on full display in state primaries already. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be voter intimidation. Fake poll taxes. Russian interference. Gun toting hoorahs trying to confuse you or simply intimidate you on your way in the door. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be long lines and misinformation. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be people in those lines and at your polling sites that don’t like you, don’t agree with you and will express their opinion. VOTE ANYWAY.
Do I have to remind you about how many people lost their lives for you to exercise this simple right? The most recent being the most Honorable John Lewis.
I had the opportunity to lead a bus tour through the deep south for President Clinton in 1992 as a final push to Election Day. Our speakers were the formidable members of the Congressional Black Caucus: Mike Espy, Charlie Rangel, Cardis Collins, Bill Clay, Kwesi Mfume, Donald Payne, Barbara Lee and Sheila Jackson Lee. What an honor to host them. In true Black people style, a game of bid whist broke out and Charlie “Harlem World” Rangel and Cardis “Chi-town” Collins were whooping the pants off of John Lewis and Bill Clay to the point of tears of laughter.
Charlie Rangel was talking about people’s mama with true bid whist bravado. As the game came to an end, John Lewis began to recount stories from his time with Dr. King and the entire bus was silent as he regaled us with stories of the legend of a man who walked among us and gave his life along with many nameless, faceless others for the rights we so lazily take for granted today. By the time he was done, there was water in every eye. Even the bus driver slowed his pace as John Lewis’ southern drawl filled the air and our hearts with pride. Every accomplishment and every sacrifice gave new meaning to the work at hand – electing a Democratic president. It was a privilege to do so. A right sprinkled with the blood of the fallen. When he finished speaking, we had arrived at our next campaign stop and the fire was lit. We met the Vice President there and we lit such a fire under those folks that we took that state from Republican incumbents from the top of the ballot to the bottom. This is the power of your vote and a little inspiration.
Part of the reason people are mourning the loss of Reverend C.T. Vivian and Congressman Lewis is the realization that nobody is coming to save us Black people. We are going to have to save ourselves. Nobody is coming to “lead” us anywhere. We’re going to have to lead ourselves. We are going to have to both lead and serve. We’re going to have to make logical decisions in a world filled with illogical people and an imperfect political system that can work against us far too often. Every once in a while, it works the way it should and that is when we turnout and vote like we should have been voting all along.
So, make sure you and your voting-age family members vote – whether or not Puffy runs Get Out The Vote (GOTV) ads on Revolt and MTV. Make sure your neighbors vote and folks have rides to the polls – whether or not Bob Johnson gets you 40 acres and a mule. VOTE as if your life depends on it, because if you didn’t know before, you now know. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.
We have the power to change the course of history — for real. Show every force opposing our very existence in this country, that every right given will be exercised no matter what the opposition.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with unalienable, undeniable, irrefutable rights, among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — and the end of incompetence in the highest office in the land. If you believe that, then VOTE.
Michele R. Brown is a former political operative who served at the DNC under Chairman Ron Brown and Deputy Chair, Alexis Herman – and both Clinton administrations. Writer. Critical Thinker. Storyteller. Dog Person. Follow her @micheles_pen on Twitter and @MichelezPen on Facebook.
Bounce TV will broadcast the farewell memorial service live Thursday, July 30, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (EST). The service will also be live-streamed at BounceTV.com.Watch the preview of the livestream here.
Congressman Lewis, who was arrested 40 times, five of those times since being a member of Congress while fighting for social justice, dedicated his entire life to racial progress. In 2011, the Georgia Democrat received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. The beloved civil rights icon was serving his 17th term as a Congressman representing the Congressional 5th District prior to his death.
Prior to the live broadcast, Bounce will present Celebrating Atlanta’s Freedom Fighters: Fathers of the Movement (10:00 a.m. ET). Bounce is partnering with Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV for this one-hour special which honors the lives and accomplishments of Lewis and fellow civil rights legends Reverend Joseph Lowery and Reverend C.T. Vivian, who passed away March 27(Lowery) and July 17, 2020, respectively.
Former President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy at Congressman Lewis’ eulogy at the service.
Bounce (@bouncetv) is the first and only multi-platform entertainment network targeting African Americans, with programming seen over-the-air, on cable, on DISH channel 359, over-the-top on Roku®, on mobile devices via the Bounce and Brown Sugar apps and on the web via BounceTV.com.
Check your local cable guide for channel information.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Congressman John Lewis Dies. Photo: Flickr/Jacobs Center For Neighborhood Innovation
Congressman John Lewis Dies. Photo: Flickr/Jacobs Center For Neighborhood Innovation
On the heels of the death of civil rights lion Rev. C.T. Vivian, civil rights giant Congressman John Lewis has died after battling pancreatic cancer. Lewis’ death has been confirmed by friend and civil rights legend Ambassador Andrew Young.
Lewis, the subject of celebrated documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter’s film Good Trouble, dedicated his life to public service as a civil rights activist, leader and congressperson, representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District.
Congressman John Lewis is known and revered worldwide for his social justice activism as a young man during the modern Civil Rights movement which sparked large scale civic and social change in America. Many have seen the horrible 1965 footage and photos of Lewis being clubbed in the head while attempting to march from Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL arriving at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to 150 police officers waiting to deliver violence and intimidation to the protesters marching for voting rights for Black Americans.
Then Alabama Governor George Wallace had outlawed protests and marchers, who were raising awareness about the plight of Black Americans, who had been made to pay poll taxes, take literacy tests or flatly denied their right to vote by intimidation and the threat of violence at the ballot box. At that particular time, Black Americans made up 57 percent of the population of Dallas County, which is where Selma is located, yet and still only 2 percent of Black Americans were registered to vote.
On what would be called Bloody Sunday, Lewis, who at the time was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) along with other civil rights lions like Reverend Hosea Williams (SCLC) continued on their march despite then Governor Wallace’s threats and were attacked by the police, sending 58 people to the hospital.
The Troy, AL native, who suffered a skull fracture during the attack, left the hospital the following week to testify before Congress about what had happened to the protesters, resulting in the passage of the Voting Rights Act by Congress which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, giving Black Americans the right to vote and offering protections (National Guard) to marchers in pursuit of justice at the ballot box.
Congressman Lewis, who was arrested 40 times, five of those times since being a member of Congress while fighting for social justice, dedicated his entire life to racial progress. In 2011, Congressman Lewis received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Congressman Lewis was serving his 17th term as a Congressman prior to his death.
The freedom fighter was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years Lillian Miles in 2012. He is survived by one son John-Miles Lewis and sisters Ethel, Rosa and Ora. John Lewis was 80.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
During PBS’ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Freedom Riders” session at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, CA on Sunday, January 9, 2011, producer and director Stanley Nelson
Photo: Flickr/PBS Press Room
During PBS’ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Freedom Riders” session at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, CA on Sunday, January 9, 2011. Photo: Flickr/PBS Press Room
The world is mourning the loss of two civil rights giants, Reverend C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis.
Reverend C.T. Vivian, a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Field General has died. A leader of the Civil Rights movement, Vivian was a Baptist minister and a member of Dr. King’s inner circle of advisers.
As a student at the American Baptist College in Nashville, he studied under Rev. James Lawson, learning Ghandi’s philosophy of non-violence and working alongside Diane Nash, John Lewis, James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette to organize a strategic, sit-in campaign in 1960. Like many civil rights protesters, he was beaten and jailed on multiple occasions including the Freedom Rides to Mississippi.
Vivian helped found the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference, and organize Tennessee’s contingent for the 1963 March on Washington. In 1962, C.T. Vivian created and directed the Vision program to help educate 700 students from Alabama with scholarships and additional training. That educational program would evolve into the Upward Bound program.
From 1963 to 1966, Rev. Vivian was the national director of nearly 85 affiliates of the S.C.L.C. from 1963 to 1966, directing protest activities and training in nonviolence as well as coordinating voter registration and community development projects.
In 1970, he published a book entitled, Black Power and the American Myth, becoming the first person in Dr. King’s inner circle to write a book about the civil rights movement and the inner workings of the group.
Twice married, Reverend Vivian spent the next 50 years of his life as a civil rights activist and educator including directing the Urban Training Center for Christian Mission in Chicago and as dean of the Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, N.C
Rev. Vivian founded the Black Action Strategies and Information Center in Atlanta to foster workplace race relations, and was a founder of the National Anti-Klan Network, which later became the Center for Democratic Renewal. The organization monitored hate groups. A living legend, Rev. Vivian served as Deputy Director of Clergy for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 historic run for President of the United States, appeared in the seminal civil rights docu-series Eyes on the Prize and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Rev. Vivian is survived by his daughters Kira Vivian, Denise Morse, Jo Anna Walker and Anita Charisse Thornton, two sons, Mark Evans Vivian and Albert Louis Vivian, nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 28 great-great-grandchildren; and two great-great-great-grandchildren. Vivian’s son Cordy, preceded him in death in 2010 along with his wife Octavia Geans, who died in 2013.
Rev. Vivian was 95.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
The BBC is reporting Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela, South African Ambassador to Denmark who was slated to become South Africa’s Head of Mission in Monrovia, Liberia has died. Mandela is the youngest daughter of South Africa’s first Black president Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The cause of death has not yet been released, but Mandela died at a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In addition to being a stateswoman, Mandela was also an activist. In 1978, she wrote the book, Black as I Am, which featured a forward written by American civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young. The book was a collection of poems written by Mandela addressing her life as a Black woman living in an Apartheid state.
“Ms Mandela grew up at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle. With her father imprisoned on Robben Island, she endured years of harassment and intimidation by the apartheid regime, along with her sister Zenani, and her mother Winnie, says the BBC’s Vumani Mkhize.
Zindzi Mandela was the family member who read out Nelson Mandela’s rejection of then-president PW Botha’s offer for conditional release from prison at a public meeting in February 1985.”
Most recently, Mandela had been vocal about land reform in South Africa and faced a firestorm of controversy over “our land” Tweets calling for the return of land to Black South Africans. The Times (S.A.) is reporting Mandela died on the anniversary of the death of her older brother Thembekile, 24, who died in a car accident in Cape Town in 1969. She is survived by her husband Molapo Motlhajwa, four children Zoleka Mandela, Zondwa Mandela, Bambatha Mandela and Zwelabo Mandela-Hlongwane, two sisters Zenani Dlamini and Pumla Makaziwe (sister from another marriage). Zindziswa Mandela was 59.
