- Conference
- 2015 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 16 September 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Conference each of us knows who Nelson Mandela was, we know of his achievements in setting his people free, his dignity in forgiving those who imprisoned him, we all remember the sadness at his passing just over a year ago.
Many members will be aware that Nelson was an honorary member of our great union, in his lifetime he received over 260 awards including the much coveted Nobel Peace Prize. In a celebration of a life so extraordinary, a life dedicated to helping Black people achieve equality, this motion proposes that we have a Nelson Mandela Award. As Nelson said ‘what matters in life is not the mere fact that we have lived, it is the difference we have made to the life of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead’. This award would be presented to a Black member each year at this Conference; it would celebrate the achievements of the member. Amongst us there are many extraordinary people, heroes, people who have fought against the odds to become successful, people who have gone above and beyond to represent Black Members.
The award would not be limited to achievements inside Unison but it would encompass the achievements of a Black Member that embodies all that Nelson Mandela stood for, such as selflessness, courage and determination.
Conference, as Black people we live and work in a society where achievements and awards are generally decided not by our peers but by privileged white people. This is our chance to celebrate what values and achievements we as Black people hold dear. Whoever wins the award will be a guest of the NBMC at Conference. It is time we celebrated the heroes amongst our own ranks.
This conference calls upon the NBMC to work with the NEC to:
1)Set up a Nelson Mandela Award that embodies his attributes and becomes an annual feature of the Black Members Conference from 2016 onwards
2)Publicise this award in Unison publications and online
3)Receive and evaluate the nominations and determine a winner
4)Announce the winner at 2016 National Black Members Conference
5)To invite the winner to attend conference as a guest of the NBMC