Please join us for a unique virtual tour of “Mandela: Struggle for Freedom,” the current special exhibit on view at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. The program will feature live commentary by, and discussion with, acclaimed journalist, media consultant and Museum Board member, John E. Davis, who was the first American news reporter to interview Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990.
Guided by its founding principle – Remember the Past, Transform the Future – the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference. The Museum fulfills its mission through exhibitions, education programs and initiatives that foster the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide.
Sidley is a sponsor of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and Sidley partner Allison Satyr serves as Vice Chair of the Museum’s Board of Directors.
About the Exhibit
Mandela: Struggle for Freedom traces the history of the fight against apartheid in South Africa, with Nelson Mandela as one of its central figures. With immersive environments, Mandela promotes human rights with a clear message: all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Nelson Mandela was one of the most famous human rights defenders of the 20th-century and the face of a movement against racial injustice. His unbreakable will inspired people around the globe to mobilize for human rights and contributed to a worldwide crusade demanding racial equality. A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994, Mandela devoted his life to fighting apartheid and creating a more just society.
Among its many dramatic features and original artifacts, the exhibition replicates the eight-foot by seven-foot cell where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail, before emerging at age 71 to continue negotiating democratic change with his former enemies. Visitors entering the cell will find themselves in a multimedia theatre, with projections telling stories of repression and resilience on the walls.