Amandla, Mama Winnie

I didn’t learn about Winnie Madikizela-Mandela until 2013, when her ex-husband, Nelson Mandela, died. Because the latter’d died in December, and World AIDS Day is December 1, I based that week’s historic tribute on Nelson Mandela’s role in the establishment of World AIDS Day; that’s how we get down at Wo’se. The next week, though, or maybe later along in the service, one of the elders spoke about Winnie Mandela’s struggles and contributions. Sometime later, I watched the Mama Winnie’s biopic, starring Jennifer Hudson. Yes, the feature is a dramatized version of a life, but it had enough interesting nuggets to goad toward a bit of research.

Given my proclivity toward finding and living the truth, and being fair and free–for real free–it’s sad that I managed to pay almost zero attention to Mama Winnie Mandela, until a man’s words made me realize just how often her contributions and long, lonely, and bitter battles are overlooked or flat-out spat upon. I have a patriarchily skewed vision of the world, and it shows up in things like this, in the way I dig for knowledge and understanding, and usually find it attached to a male figure.

This woman–an O.G. ride or die–one of our mothers, never wavered in her desire to see us–all of us–free. If only relatively so, she was our Killmonger, our Malcolm. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry, but I don’t really think I’m wrong.

Mama Winnie, thank you for taking all that hell back then, so that all your Black African folk could know some heaven in the here and now.

She came here September 26, 1936; she transitioned on April 2, 2018. She fought long and hard, and if she don’ got somewhere and sat down, I ain’t mad. She’s earned a respite.

So go on, Ma’am. Rest in power!

Amandla to you, Mama Winnie. Amandla to you.

Click the photo to watch a video provided by The Real News Network.

In the comments, leave a photo caption.

Kenisha