My Reflection

In reflection, the Apartheid Era in South Africa was an unfair period of racial prejudice. Much like the Holocaust, in the sense that people were hunted out and "destroyed" by separateness in their countries. This "Battle of the Races" created a racial prejudice that can still be seen today. Many people in many countries still share that racial hatred toward those who are not like them. Every day, people are ostracized for their looks, race, or strengths. It's wrong, but who can stop them? Sure, we can slow it, but prejudice will never stop. Every country must go through a time of Civil Rights in order to find their ways of exception in the world. What if the United States had never gone through a period of Civil Rights, then where would we be today with our racial prejudice?
Apartheid can be related to the Holocaust in many ways. Like mentioned above, people were hunted out and "destroyed." Rather than to be physically destroyed and put to death, racism in Apartheid was excruciatingly painful in the sense that it injured the person both physically and mentally. Yes, Apartheid did have it's fair share of casualties, one of which being Steven Biko, a great leader in Apartheid South Africa---who is now viewed as a martyr.
In conclusion, the Apartheid Era was a time of racial prejudice that ended in the election of Nelson Mandela. With Mandelas' election, South African Apartheid disappeared. In my opinion, we as a country are lucky to have gone through a Civil War, and a Civil Rights movement that didn't include searching out and ostracizing those of a different race than the one created by the "American Image." It was a period of unfairness that ultimately led to a greater good.
---Kati Cavanagh