Connectedness in the Fight for Universal Justice

Bryden Sandifer worked with the Presidential Precinct as a Summer Program Associate for the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship. Bryden is a 2022 graduate of the University of Virginia, where she double-majored in Global Development Studies and Spanish, with a focus in Public Health.

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From the moment our 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows arrived at Dulles International Airport, excited and exhausted, smiling and laughing after long days of journeying, the diversity of the group was apparent. Eighteen different nationalities were represented by flags worn around necks and attached to backpacks, in varying languages and accents used in introductions, and in conversations about expectations of weather, food, accommodations and classroom sessions. While the Fellows’ differences remained apparent, as this group of 25 strangers began to live, work, and learn together, I saw a notable similarity emerge between them, largely in relation to the infamous question, “Why are you here?”.

The Fellows’ immediate responses to this question varied greatly. For one Fellow, the Mandela Washington Fellowship was an opportunity to learn how to better attract resources and funding for the education of orphans in Benin. For another, the experience was about studying democratic discourse to promote peace through education in Cote d’Ivoire.  For yet another, it was about learning methods how to best promote the role of women in the fight against food insecurity in South Africa.

Despite this diversity, in all of my interactions with the Fellows, they shared a belief in relatedness; a recognition that, while each of their areas of focus may be specific in terms of region and topic, they were all connected. I saw this when a Kenyan Fellow organized a protest to address governmental corruption in Uganda, when a Botswanan Fellow initiated a discussion with Fellows from Lesotho and Zimbabwe on the issue of masculinity in the Gender Equity Movement, and when a Togolese Fellow invited a Cameroonian Fellow to a conference on using debate to promote democratic values in the younger generation. I saw it in the solidarity and support that each member of the group gifted their peers, such as when they raised money for the college tuition fees of another Fellow.

Repeated in classroom sessions, networking events, and group dinners in shared kitchens, was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This sentiment was embodied by the Fellows. As I sat in on discussions and engaged the Fellows day in and day out, I came to understand this connectedness in the fight for universal justice. It is evident, through instances such as a Fellow-organized demonstration in Nairobi against the murder of George Floyd or the group’s eagerness to partake in community service in the Williamsburg and Charlottesville communities, that this is a connectedness that extends not just throughout the continent of Africa, but also here in the United States, and throughout the world. The time that I spent with the Fellows showed me the duty we all have to each other, to recognize oppression in forms that do not just directly affect us.

I will take much with me from the six weeks that I spent with the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows. I have formed many deep friendships with inspiring individuals that I will cherish for years to come; learned the value of cross-cultural collaboration and the importance of numerous perspectives; and, most importantly, I have come to understand the interconnectedness of all discrimination, oppression, and injustice, and the importance of collaboration to address it.