I was too young to understand the politics when Mandela became president and although I had questions when I was older the fear and oppression my parents would try to convey seemed surreal. For whatever reason as a young girl I remember South Africa’s then president often dancing in celebration wearing brightly colored shirts. My first memories of Mandela are all festive. What is interesting is that I can now plainly see that the reason I cannot imagine the world Mandela inhabited is because of his tireless fight to give all the people of South Africa a constitution protecting and providing the rights I have grown to trust. Although I spent the majority of my life to date in South Africa and was educated about Mandela’s history including his long fight for freedom throughout grade school, I was not prepared for the honest and emotional story of a great man who suffered injustices that I cannot imagine. The book, an international best seller, does not disappoint.

Anderson’s offer to write about my reflections after reading a Long Walk to Freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Of course, when you consider my birthplace, I welcomed Dr. Harlene Anderson, which was a wonderful experience for a student like me who uses collaborative practice daily in conversations with clients. About seven years ago, I moved to the United States and found myself at Our Lady of the Lake University in the Graduate Psychology program. I am a South African born American citizen.

A long walk to freedom