Ndaba Mandela, Grandson of Nelson Mandela, Inspired Upper School

In celebration of Black History Month, GCDS was honored to welcome Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, to campus. He inspired Upper School students with stories of his grandfather’s courage and wisdom.  

Born in 1982, Mandela was just eight years old when his grandfather was released from prison and 11 years old when he went to live with him. He recalled the crowds of people, miles deep, who would come to hear his grandfather speak of a free South Africa. “It was then that I began to understand his greatness and his impact on people. He was humble and treated everyone he met the same.”

Mandela, who was recently named one of the “28 Men of Change” by BET, is the author of “Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather.” He is the co-founder of the Africa Rising Foundation, an organization promoting the positive image of Africa to increase its potential for growth, and the Mandela Project. He also works with UN AIDS, which seeks to end HIV/AIDS.

Mandela encouraged students to realize their power and dream big to make change. “It was through young people, college students on campuses around the world who protested and put pressure on businesses to divest from South Africa, that change was able to come about.”

After the presentation, he met with students in smaller groups throughout the day, in a Leadership Ethics & Francophone World class with Dr. Flemens, a 10th Grade Seminar with Mr. Ramirez, and Sustainability with Dr. Barratt. He also had lunch with the Model United Nations Club.

“Ndaba and the Mandela family believe in the immeasurable power of the human spirit and empathy,” said Emmanuel Saldana, Assistant Director of DEI. “As a diversity practitioner, I hope our students learn to appreciate and value the individual identities of other members of their community; subsequently creating a more inclusive community. Students who feel included and have a sense of belonging can have a massive impact on their communities, locally and globally. Mr. Mandela helped inspire our students to consider how they can step out into the world, engage in courageous conversations around difference and respect, and hopefully,  move into action.”

#GCDSCharacter

#GCDSCharacter