Kean Senior Human Rights Fellow Ndaba Mandela Inspires Audience with Distinguished Lecture

Human rights leader Ndaba Mandela delivered a powerful lecture at Kean University last week, urging students and others to have the courage to be leaders. 

Speaking to a packed auditorium on Kean’s Union campus, the grandson of the late anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela and the senior human rights fellow at Kean’s Human Rights Institute told the audience, “The only way you achieve change is when you get involved.” 

“There will be hurdles; there will be speed bumps; there will be people who say you’re just a dreamer. But it starts with a dream,” Mandela said. “We need to dream big. If your dreams don’t scare you, you aren’t dreaming big enough.” 

Mandela, who is co-founder and chairman of the Mandela Institute for Humanity, spoke as part of the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series. 

“We are incredibly honored to have Ndaba Mandela at Kean University,” Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D., said. “Kean shares the core values Ndaba Mandela champions, and his presence here strengthens our commitment.  We talk about what it means to be a leader at Kean, and I can’t think of a more inspiring role model than Ndaba Mandela.” 

Mandela’s lecture came during Human Rights Week at Kean. He was the featured participant at events throughout the week, including an interview on Kean's podcast Urban Impact, a panel discussion on the social impact of sports; a campus “pop-up shop,” where students selected donated career-appropriate clothing to outfit them for interviews; a field day with local youths and more. In the spring, he will lead a contingent of students and others on a Travelearn trip to study human rights in South Africa. 

Jessica Barzilay, Kean assistant vice president for global Initiatives, said Mandela’s message left an impression on the campus community. 

“It was everything we could ask for,” Barzilay said. “He was inspiring, and he spoke to youth about what they could do. It’s exactly what Human Rights Week is all about.” 

The lecture was moderated by David Jefferson Jr., Ed.D., acting director of the Center for Africana Studies at Kean. 

Mandela talked about growing up with his grandfather, whom he did not meet until he was 7 years old because Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. He recalled the day of his grandfather’s release, when he was “shocked” to see crowds lining the streets and only then fully grasped his grandfather’s immense significance. 

He shared that the former South African president began raising him at the age of 12, taking on a guiding role several years before his mother and father died of HIV/AIDS. Mandela urged him to earn top grades, saying, “You’re my grandson, and people will look up to you as a leader.” His grandfather’s words became his lifelong motivation. 

“Nelson Mandela went to jail for 27 years. Four years after he came out, he became president. Some people say that’s impossible,” he said. “What I want to see is people coming together from across nations and building the next generation of leaders. We all want the same things.” 

Mandela told Kean students to look for opportunities to lead. 

“A leader is not somebody who is number one,” he said. “A leader is somebody who serves their community.” 

Following the lecture, attendees said they were thrilled by his message. 

“It was awesome,” said Gorety Archelus ’06, a Kean alumna who works at the University and recently began pursuing her master’s degree in accounting. “It kind of hit home for what is going on in the world today. Together, we can get far.” 

Kean juniors Nichole Acheampong of Union, a public administration student, and Baaba Eshun of Sayreville, an exercise science/pre-physical therapy student, said they felt empowered by Mandela’s words. Both students have family ties to Ghana. 

“He embodies courage and strength, especially for young people like me. He gives the vision that it’s possible,” Acheampong said. 

Eshun agreed. “He spoke a lot of words of wisdom,” she said. 

Kean graduate Victoria Cerda ’96, ’03 MSW, said she has admired Nelson Mandela and his legacy for years. 

“It was like a dream meeting someone so close to Mandela, someone so close to a great leader,” she said.