On the Passing of Nelson Mandela

Last week the world lost Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest and most inspirational leaders of our time, or any time. The revolutionary who had been jailed for 27 years during the prime of his life died peacefully in his home, loved and honored worldwide. The arc of Mr. Mandela’s life — from freedom fighter to prisoner to president and architect of liberation, reconciliation and rebuilding — will inspire those who fight for social justice for generations to come. Mr. Mandela didn’t waste his years in prison; he learned, reflected, grew, became a great spirit, and never stopped thinking about the future. One message that can be drawn from his life is to never lose hope for the future. Another clear (and more challenging) lesson: never even lose hope for your enemies.

Mr. Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement changed the world of investment forever. For the first time, shareholders demanded that scores of corporations justify their dealings with a brutal, segregationist regime. Many could not and left the country, accelerating apartheid’s road to collapse. 

Along the way, a generation or two of activists learned about the realities of global finance and the power of directly engaging with companies — and the power of divestment when engagement had run its course without beneficial result. Churches, colleges, pension funds and responsible investment managers who couldn’t ignore that their returns were earned from an immoral and violent system became a community that we at Clean Yield are grateful to be a part of, one that continues to apply the lessons of their transformative work to the continuing struggle for social and economic justice. Nelson Mandela didn’t set out to breathe life into the social investment movement, but it is one more reason to be grateful for the life he lived.