SEP 222009 RES 0 L UTI 0 rJ~CITY CLE . FOR PLACEMENT ON NEXT #62 lii:GUU\R COUNCIL AGENDA TO BE POSTED WHEREAS Ahmed Kathrada was born on August 21,1929, in Schweizer Reneke, a small, rural town zvv miles rrom South Africa; and
WHEREAS Barbara Hogan was born in 1952 and raised in Benoni, an industrial town located in the province of Gauteng, South Africa; and
WHEREAS over the last 70 years, Ahmed Kathrada has been involved in the dramatic changes taking place in South Africa, demonstrating a profound commitment to equality and freedom, risking his own life and sacrificing his own freedom in the process; and
WHEREAS Barbara Hogan saw the injustice of apartheid and acted at great personal sacrifice to herself and remains a human rights activist and political leader known for her integrity and intelligence and for fearlessly speaking truth to power; and
WHEREAS Ahmed Kathrada was a leading activist in all the major freedom campaigns that occurred in his lifetime and has made significant contributions in efforts to build a new South Africa; and
WHEREAS Ahmed Kathrada has been a lifelong comrade and friend of Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu and an esteemed African National Congress stalwart, known for his finely honed ethics, peacemaking and equanimity, keen and independent thinking, and irrepressible sense of humor; and
WHEREAS Ahmed Kathrada was arrested in Rivonia in July 1963, along with Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, and Raymond Mhlaba; and
WHEREAS The Rivonia Trial included Nelson Mandela as a co-accused, and resulted in Ahmed Kathrada, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Dennis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, and Andrew Mlangeni being' found guilty of sabotage and sentenced to life in prison on June II, 1964; and
WHEREAS Barbara Hogan was detained for "furthering the aims of a banned organization" in 1982, was interrogated, assaulted, and held in solitary confinement for a year, and then convicted of high treason and sentenced to ten years in prison; and
WHEREAS Ahmed Kathrada served as an ANC Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Counsellor to President Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999 and has also been the leading force behind the transformation of the infamous Robben Island prison into a world- renowned museum, which symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit over hatred and oppression; and
WHEREAS Barbara Hogan has served as a Member of Parliament since the first democratic elections in 1994, where she has been an outspoken proponent for human rights, HIV/AIDS activism, and fiscal accountability; and
WHEREAS dudritngkHoga?'S tenburedas HealthhM inislt~r frokmSeptemb~r 2008 to Ma y2009'tS~e maAdIeDHSIVt/AIDtSa tdoPpriority for Wi I governmen t an 00 a science- ase approac 0t po icyma mg, garnenng WIdesprea d suppor rrom ac IVISs; an ~
WHEREAS Barbara Hogan was appointed to the new South African Presidential Cabinet as Minister of Public Enterprises in early ~ 2009; and I!~ 00£i ! WHEREAS Barbara Hogan was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world; and (!J WHEREAS to celebrate the lifetime achievements of these two extraordinary individuals along with Ahmed Kathrada's 80"' birthday, 1Ir~ the Los Angeles-based non-profit organization, Artists for a New South Africa, will honor Ahmed Kathrada and Barbara Hogan with !llC the 2009 Human Rights Award at the organization's 20"' Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, September 22, 2009; b NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that by adoption of this Resolution, the Los Angeles City Council does hereby declare' September 22'd, 2009 as Ahmed Kathrada and Barbara Hogan Day in the City of Los Angeles. PRESENTED BY: GG ERJCGARC rr c071lme er 13"' District
SECONDED BY:
September 22, 2009