Bill Cosby and mayors of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Washington, and Kansas City will be at a press conference in New York on September 28 to announce a major campaign to free those jailed by the South African government for opposing apartheid. Cosby is Honorary Chairman of the "Unlock Apartheid's Jails" campaign. The South African government has jailed an estimated 30,000 persons in the past year, more than 40% of them 18 years or younger, for their opposition to apartheid. Each Mayor will present their "Key to the City" to Cosby and Ambassador Joseph Garba of Nigeria, Chairman of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid, to dramatize their demand to free the political...
Bill Cosby and mayors of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Washington, and Kansas City will be at a press conference in New York on September 28 to announce a major campaign to free those jailed by the South African government for opposing apartheid. Cosby is Honorary Chairman of the "Unlock Apartheid's Jails" campaign. The South African government has jailed an estimated 30,000 persons in the past year, more than 40% of them 18 years or younger, for their opposition to apartheid. Each Mayor will present their "Key to the City" to Cosby and Ambassador Joseph Garba of Nigeria, Chairman of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid, to dramatize their demand to free the political prisoners. Already, churches in several midwestern states have collected thousands of keys to demand freeing political prisoners. Religious leaders, from John Cardinal O'Connor of New York to Rabbi Alexander Schindler of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, have endorsed the effort. Tower Records will be placing special displays with petitions in their 60 stores nationwide. The keys that are collected will be delivered at dramatic events outside the South African consulate in New York on October 13 and the South African Embassy in Washington on December 10. The Mayors and Bill Cosby will have lunch with the Secretary General of the United Nations following the press conference. The American Committee on Africa and The Africa Fund are sponsoring the campaign. The contact is Paul Irish.
