Black Sash

Black Sash ( German: "Black Sash ") is a civil rights and non-governmental organization of women in South Africa. It was founded in 1955 as a nonviolent movement of "white" women against apartheid in South Africa and campaigned for the rights of the " non-white " one.

History

The South African Jean Sinclair (1908-1996) founded during a tea party with five other women from the "white" middle class in Cape Town the organization in order to the amendment of the electoral law in the Cape Province by the apartheid government in the wake of restrictions from the Separate Representation of Voters Act to protest. In this case, the right to vote the Coloureds had been revoked. The original name of the organization was Women's Defence of the Constitution League ( such as: " Women's League for the Defense of the Constitution "). They imposed as a sign of mourning, a replica of the constitutional text with a black sash (English: black sash ). The first statewide meeting in April 1956 in Bloemfontein, the organization adopted the name Black Sash. In 1961, the headquarters was moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Since 1963, the membership is open to women of all skin colors. By 1975, Jean Sinclair served as chairman. Black Sash protested against many laws of the government, which the " non-whites " discriminated against, such as the pass laws. They organized demonstrations and vigils and wore it the black sash. They had offices in which apartheid victims could legally seek advice. As a "white " they turned to their members of parliament who had been exclusively chosen by " whites" to apply pressure. Many of the women saw themselves hostile other "White " exposed, several were assaulted, imprisoned or banished. 1983 Black Sash was instrumental in the founding of the End Conscription Campaign ( about: " Past- the - conscription campaign " ) involved who successfully campaigned for the abolition of conscription.

" I also salute the Black Sash [ ... ]. We note with pride did you have ACTED as the conscience of white South Africa. Even falling on the darkest days in the history of our struggle you held the flag of liberty high. - I may show also the Black Sash [ ... ] my honor. We note with pride that you have acted as the conscience of white South Africa. Even in the darkest days of the history of our struggle you held high the flag of freedom. "

An appeal of Black Sash to the former parties to the conflict led the mid-1990s to the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC ), whose work contributed significantly to reconciliation in South Africa.

With the abolition of apartheid in the early 1990s changed Black Sash her ​​profile towards a human rights organization, open to all South Africans. The four objectives are

At the top of Black Sash is a National Director; 2012 this is Marcella Naidoo. A Supervisory Board oversees the work of the organization. The headquarters is located in Cape Town. The motto of the organization is Making Human Rights Real ( German: " The human rights into reality ").

Since 1995 the work of Parliament in South Africa by the Independent Parliamentary Monitoring Group will ( German as: Parliamentary Monitoring Group ) accompanied. It promotes its activities the public provision of accurate and verifiable information. Black Sash is one of the founding organizations of the institution, which, as an independent non-governmental organization to transparency in parliamentary everyday since July 2009.

Among the most famous Black Sash members Helen Zille heard.

Publications

The organization was a journal called The Black sash: The Swart out serp. The magazine was published quarterly, from 1956 until 1969. Since it appears under the name Sash.