STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

World Celebrates Mandela Day By Lending a Hand

People around the world give 67 minutes of service for Madiba's 67 years.

Saturday would have been Nelson Mandela's 97th birthday, and the world celebrated by evoking the civil rights icon's spirit of service. After the United Nations appointed July 18 as Nelson Mandela Day, people around the world commemorated the day by offering 67 minutes of service to others — that's one minute for every year Madiba spent fighting for equality.
AOL reports that in South Africa, groups of women came together at the University of Johannesburg to knit 67 blankets for those in need while other residents spent time painting shacks with white fire retardant paint as part of their contribution.

| GOOGLE DOODLES: CELEBRATING PEOPLE OF COLOR FROM AROUND THE WORLD |

Mandela's former wife Winnie Mandela held a lunch for elderly, needy women at the family restaurant.
On the Internet, people all over the world shared their contributions on social media, using the hashtag #Time2Serve. Morgan Freeman, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and others spread the word about Nelson Mandela Day on Twitter and Facebook.
Current U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced in a statement that the organization will be granting the first-ever Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize to two individuals who build on Mandela's legacy. The award will be given every five years.
"#MandelaDay will not be a holiday but a day devoted to service #Time2Serve #MakeEveryDayAMandelaDay" was posted on Mandela's own Twitter account. 
It's not too late to take an hour and change to help another in honor of Madiba. Watch a recap of Mandela's illustrious legacy from last year's BET Honors, below. 

BET Global News - Your source for Black news from around the world, including international politics, health and human rights, the latest celebrity news and more.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.