“Be Honest with Yourself”
My Mandela Moment
by Mia Phifer, America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM)
Mia Phifer (center) with her ABHM colleagues at the Milwaukee Public Museum’s U.S. debut of “Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition.”
“…the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.” – Nelson Mandela
This quote perfectly encapsulates what I learned from the life of Nelson Mandela when Milwaukee was fortunate enough to be the U.S. debut city for Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition. As someone who was born in the early 90s, I (unfortunately) did not know very much about the life or impact of Mandela. Even as a trained historian, the knowledge I had of him was surface-level and not nearly sufficient. One of my favorite things about partnering with the Milwaukee Public Museum on bringing the exhibit here and in developing programming for it was that we were able to introduce a whole new generation to his life’s work. By pairing the exhibition with America’s Black Holocaust Museum’s Book Club, which read A Long Walk to Freedom (1994), we encouraged people of all ages to see Mandela as a full person and to see themselves as liberated and empowered to follow in his footsteps and continue his journey in their own communities. The exhibit encouraged us all to see ourselves as peacemakers, as people who strive for reconciliation and healing. The above quote is also directly related to ABHM’s founder, Dr. James Cameron, who promoted racial repair, reconciliation, and healing throughout his entire life. Both Nelson Mandela and Dr. Cameron were people of honesty, integrity, and humility, and they have both inspired me to be the same.
Mia Phifer is Education & Research Coordinator at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, where she has been assisting with their reopening since 2018. She earned her MA in History with a specialization in Public History and certificates in Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She has become a dedicated museum professional and public historian and believes that museums have an important role to play in society by facilitating access to historical scholarship relevant to today’s most pressing issues for audiences of all backgrounds. As part of the nonprofit and museum fields, Mia has gained experience in historical research and writing, collections management, advocacy, board development, fundraising, strategic planning, program evaluation and more.
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My Mandela Moment »
Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition is on display at The Durham Museum now through July 3, 2022. The exhibit takes visitors on a personal journey through the life of the world’s most iconic freedom fighter and political leader.
