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CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) –

Brian Davis was part of history-voting in South Africa’s 1994 apartheid ending elections and today he dropped by the station to share part of his story.

“Everybody thought it was going to be a blood bath,” said Brian Davis. “I can say this as a white person, when he became president he freed us. He freed me.”

Apartheid — the state of being a part was a system of racial segregation from 1948 to 1994 in South Africa — when Nelson Mandela was elected president Brian Davis climbed street poles in Cape Town to take posters – representative of a new order.

“Everybody thought this is finally South Africa’s time to make amends. These posters are unique almost like parts of the Berlin wall coming down. It is a treasure for our family to have these posters,” added Davis.

Brian spent 28 years in South Africa and 25 years in America — two countries with similar pasts in apartheid and slavery and with their first black presidents in Mandela and Obama.

‘My wife is one of the few people in the world who can say she voted for both of those individuals,” Davis said. “There was the fear of the unknown, never had a president who was not white. He’s changed the way America sees itself I think.”

 

SOURCE: 19ActionNews.com

Article and Picture Courtesy of WOIO 19 Action News

Cleveland Man Voted in 1994 South Africa Election  was originally published on wzakcleveland.com