It Is Always Impossible Until It Is

It Was During Those Long And Lonely Years That My Hunger For The Freedom Of My Own People Became A Hunger For The Freedom Of All People, White And Black. I Knew As Well As I Knew Anything That The Oppressor Must Be Liberated Just As Surely As The Oppressed. A Man Who Takes Away Another Man's Freedom Is A Prisoner Of Hatred, He Is Locked Behind The Bars Of Prejudice And Narrow-mindedness. I Am Not Truly Free If I Am Taking Away Someone Else's Freedom, Just As Surely As I Am Not Free When My Freedom Is Taken From Me. The Oppressed And The Oppressor Alike Are Robbed Of Their Humanity.

That Day, Miss Mdingane Told Me That My New Name Was Nelson. Why She Bestowed This Particular Name Upon Me I Have No Idea. Perhaps It Had Something To Do With The Great British Sea Captain Lord Nelson, But That Would Be Only A Guess.

I Feel Like A Young Man Of 15.

Like All Xhosa Children, I Acquired Knowledge Mainly Through Observation. We Were Meant To Learn Through Imitation And Emulation, Not Through Questions. When I First Visited The Homes Of Whites, I Was Often Dumbfounded By The Number And Nature Of Questions That Children Asked Of Their Parents-and Their Parents' Unfailing Willingness To Answer Them. In My Household, Questions Were Considered A Nuisance; Adults Imparted Information As They Considered Necessary.

I Have Fought Against White Domination, And I Have Fought Against Black Domination.