Antionette Sithole witnessed her brother's murder.
The story of a woman who witnessed her brother’s murder during the apartheid regime was among the presentations on support for young immigrants and on South African youths’ struggles against apartheid that highlighted International Education Week Nov. 16 – Nov. 21.
“New Faces: Immigrants and Refugees in North Carolina” was held on Monday, November 16, at 3 p.m. in Diggs Gallery. “The Struggles of South African Youth Against Apartheid and Democratic Transformation in Southern Africa” was held on Thursday, November 19.
“During International Education Week, we strive to create opportunities for people to come together for numerous activities that we hope will increase global understanding,” said Dr. Joti Sekhon, director of International Programs. “We bring programs to the campus that can highlight international opportunities for our students, but we also include presentations that can enlighten the entire community on serious international issues. We include a variety of activities to promote global cultural awareness, ranging from serving more international food in our dining hall to a presentation on music from popular Bollywood movies. Faculty and students from many program areas and several campus organizations contribute generously to provide so many interesting and diverse activities.”
Dr. Joti Sekhon
The program on immigrants and refugees in North Carolina was presented by the Center for New North Carolinians (CNNC) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The CNNC discussed its outreach programs, particularly those aimed at youth such as “Thriving at Three” which focuses on young children. The presentation was sponsored by the International Programs office and Club Latino.
Antoinette Sithole, speaker and curator of the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto, South Africa, focused her presentation on the events of June 16, 1976, the day of the youth uprising in Soweto. Her brother, Hector Pieterson, was killed that day, and Sithole witnessed his murder. At age 12, Hector was one of the first and youngest children to be killed by the apartheid regime. Click here to hear more of her harrowing ordeal.
The student uprising changed the course of South African history by accelerating demands for the release of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, and the release of previously banned political organizations such as the African National Congress.
The discussion on apartheid and South African’s transformation to democracy was moderated by WSSU Diplomat-in-Residence, Ambassador Molelekeng Rapolaki of Lesotho. Ambassador Rapolaki will discussed Lesotho’s situation as a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa.
