Mandela Monument Unveiled

Learn more about the newest addition to the campus Peace Garden

By Lisa Bell (’95)

The joyful sounds of the African Drum Interactive moved through the Fresno State Peace Garden like a chorus of exuberant heartbeats on Sept. 12, kicking off the unveiling ceremony for the latest addition to the monument statues honoring peacemakers from around the globe.

A life-sized bronze statue of anti-apartheid activist, former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela stands just east of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue, facing the Fresno State Library from in front of the Professional Human Services building. This is the first new statue added to the garden in nearly 20 years.

“Nelson Mandela is a magnificent addition to our Peace Garden, as he believed in the power that education has to forge a socially conscious individual who works for an equitable world,” says Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “With his core belief in the power of the individual, Mandela will inspire our students to reach new levels of excellence, which in turn will enrich all of our diverse communities and world.”

The statue design was initially led by Colorado artist Ed Dwight, a military fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force and America’s first Black astronaut candidate. When Dwight was unable to continue with the project, Jose Lopez — a Fresno State graduate art student — carried Dwight’s vision to completion with support from art and design professor Ed Gillum.

The statue features incredible details, from the intricate designs on Mandela’s African-patterned shirt to the laces on his shoes. Mandela’s trademark broad grin lights up his face as he raises his right fist in solidarity with his country men and women in the struggle against oppression.

The Mandela statue joins those honoring Mahatma Gandhi (installed in 1990), Cesar Chavez (1996), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1999) and Jane Addams (2006).

Dr. Siyabulela Mandela, a human rights scholar, delivered a keynote address titled “Reconciliation: Fostering Peace Through a Search for Common Grounds.”

Dr. Veena Howard, a philosophy professor, chair of the Department of Philosophy and endowed chair in Jain and Hindu Dharma and the director of the M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya, wrote an op-ed column for The Fresno Bee, explaining the significance of the Mandela Monument at Fresno State. Howard organized the unveiling event and acted as emcee.

“Mandela may have lived thousands of miles away, but his lessons on truth and reconciliation resonate globally and locally, here in the Central Valley,” Howard wrote. “His lifelong commitment to justice, unity and healing transcends geographic boundaries, offering valuable guidance for communities everywhere. Fresno State’s Peace Garden with the new monument to Mandela offers powerful examples to our students and community of how the path of resistance to injustice, reconciliation, open communication and empathy can help bridge divides and foster lasting change, right here at home.”

Top photo: Dr. Siyabulela Mandela