US residents invited to design Nelson Mandela memorial

US artists, designers and residents over the age of 13 are invited to participate in a competition to design an eternal memorial in honour of the late Nelson Mandela.The memorial, which will represent Mandela’s legacy and the embodiment of his life’s work, will serve to support the education and inspiration of younger generations.

Sponsored by Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park and Chapel of the Chimes, the competition runs from 15 April 2014 to 15 October 2014. Designers are requested to submit their exceptional and creative interpretations of a permanent Mandela memorial to www.nelsonmandela-memorial.com.

On 15 October 2014, a panel of experts, including Congresswoman Barbara Lee and California State NAACP president Alice Huffman, will judge the entries and the winning design for the landmark memorial project will be selected.

The unique project, which sees the collaborative creation of a long-lasting monument where people can gather to reflect upon Mandela’s legacy, is the brainchild of a partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation, California’s Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park and Chapel of the Chimes, and the Oakland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“We’re pleased to partner on this opportunity to give Bay Area residents a chance to honour Mandela and promote his desire for social justice and drive positive change every day,” says Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. “This memorial will symbolise the importance of ‘service to one’s fellow human’, a mantra that will help current and future generations keep his legacy alive.”

The strong connection between the Bay Area and Mandela’s life and work dates back almost three decades when, in opposition to Mandela’s imprisonment, Oakland Congressman Ron Dellums drafted the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986. Demonstrations were conducted by thousands of Bay Area residents who rallied for civil rights and Mandela’s release from prison. Shortly following his release in 1990, he visited Oakland.

“Long known as the seat of activism, the Bay Area is one of the most ethnically diverse major metropolitan areas in the United States. It’s a fitting home for a monument that honours the great legacy of Nelson Mandela,” says George Holland, president of the Oakland NAACP branch.

“The monument will ultimately inspire people and communities everywhere and will promote dialogue and inclusiveness as a platform for social change. It is truly a great way to honour Mandela’s contributions to world peace, human rights, social justice and democracy. Like Mandela, we hope to empower individuals to take action to help change the world for the better and to build a global movement for good.”

The competition will be juried by visionaries and experts, including:

• Barbara Lee, US Representative for California's 13th 
congressional district

• Alice Huffman, California State NAACP president

• Rebecca Rolfe, San Francisco LGBT Center’s executive director

• Naomi M Kelly, city administrator for the City and County of 
San Francisco

• David Lim, San Mateo council member

• Neal Schwartz, California College of the Arts associate 
professor

• David Montgomery, cemetery development and 
memorialisation director for NorthStar Memorial Group

The winning memorial design, which will be formed of rich granite, bronze or a combination thereof, will be built to withstand the test of time to maintain its integrity and beauty for generations. Skylawn will permanently host the monument at its park, situated at the crest of Montara Mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean, for the general public to visit in hopes that it will inspire people to learn more about Mandela’s contribution to humanity.

“Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park and Chapel of the Chimes are proud sponsors of the Nelson Mandela memorial initiative,” says Montgomery. “We envision a memorial that will initiate the kind of dialogue and activism that will advance Mandela’s legacy and will continue to drive positive change.”

Click here to submit your design: www.nelsonmandela-memorial.com

Notes to editors

About Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park
Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park was established in 1959 as a non-sectarian cemetery in San Mateo, California, and a state-of-the-art funeral home was added in 2006. For more information, visit www.skylawnmemorialpark.com.

About Chapel of the Chimes Oakland and Chapel of the Chimes Hayward
Chapel of the Chimes Oakland and Chapel of the Chimes Hayward provide end-of-life services to families from diverse religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For more information, visit www.oakland.chapelofthechimes.com and www.hayward.chapelofthechimes.com.

About the Nelson Mandela Foundation
The Nelson Mandela Foundation (www.nelsonmandela.org), a registered trust, is a human rights-oriented non-profit organisation. The Foundation delivers to the world an integrated and dynamic information resource on the life and times of Nelson Mandela, and promotes the search for sustainable solutions to critical social problems through memory-based dialogue interventions and tangible activations to realise the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

About the NAACP – Oakland Chapter
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic quality of rights of all persons, and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

Media enquiries
To request high-resolution images, to obtain more details on the Nelson Mandela memorial or to request an interview with David Montgomery of Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park and Chapel of the Chimes, please contact Hilary Burns at northstar@landispr.com.