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See Ali Velshi: May 7

Join The Philadelphia Citizen the evening of May 7, 2024 for the launch of MSNBC anchor and chief correspondent and Citizen Board Member Ali Velshi’s new book, Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy

In a 125 year family history that is a treatise on citizenship and civic engagement, Velshi demonstrates his commitment to social justice as a living, breathing experience — telling the stories of his progenitors who made a lasting commitment to fight for change, in the face of adversity, and when success seemed impossible.

Velshi’s heartfelt exploration of how we can breathe new life into the principles of pluralistic democracy offers a roadmap for the battles we are fighting today. At its center is an urgent call to action: for progress to be possible, we must all do whatever we can — no matter how small — to make a difference.

Velshi will speak with The Philadelphia Citizen about the lessons explored in Small Acts of Courage, which will be for sale and available for signing at the event. Complimentary drinks and light bites will be available for guests to enjoy.

$5 for entry. Free for Philadelphia Citizen and Fitler Club members. For code information, please contact [email protected].

RSVP HERE

Fitler Club Ballroom, 1 S. 24th Street. May 7, 2024. Cocktail Hour: 5-6pm. Program: 6-7pm. Book signing: 7-7:30pm.

 

 

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Ali Velshi talk about South Africa

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Listen

Ali Velshi on South Africa’s Fight for Democracy

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi looks back at his parents' homeland and puts the struggle against South African apartheid in modern context

Listen

Ali Velshi on South Africa’s Fight for Democracy

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi looks back at his parents' homeland and puts the struggle against South African apartheid in modern context

It has been 30 years since the end of apartheid in South Africa, but the legacy of institutional racism paves the hard road to democracy. Ali Velshi, son of South African Indians, vividly recalls the day in 1990 when anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison. He would become the nation’s first Black president in 1994.

In his new book Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy, Velshi recalls watching Mandela’s release on television as a college student in Canada. South Africa had been ruled by white settlers from Europe, subjugating the Black population to exploitation and institutional racism.

Mandela was jailed for organizing the resistance to apartheid in the form of protests and demonstrations. His prison sentence took a toll on him physically and took a toll on South Africa as a nation. His release was a new day for both. But since then, they have experienced continued poverty and struggle. South Africans are heading to the polls at the end of May, and for the first time since 1994, the ruling ANC party is at risk of losing its absolute majority since Mandela was president 30 years ago, holding his successors accountable.

“This is democracy in action, and South Africa’s early freedom fighters understood that,” says Velshi. “While they overcame apartheid, the struggle for true equality was far from over.”

LISTEN: ALI VELSHI ON THE END OF APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA

 

WATCH: VELSHI RECALLS NELSON MANDELA’S RELEASE AND LEGACY

 

MORE FROM MSNBC’S ALI VELSHI

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