By: Ruth Hoover Seitz '67

Ruth Hoover Seitz '67 — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 14:38:34 +0000

I appreciated learning about the students’ visit to Sorweto. I visited in the 1970s when it was illegal for Caucasians to do so. In a racially segregated society, Nelson Mandela was in prison. The homes (exterior) were drab and grim but tidy with the ground cleanly swept. No bright colors. We were given permission to park our VW Kombi against the wall of a church. A mother and her baby sheltered between the camper wheel and the wall and disappeared before dawn. Black citizens had to have a permit to be in Sorweto; it was dangerous to be homeless there. Residents were uncomfortable talking with us. The Grail sisters who brought us to the area told us that speaking to “whites” was frowned on. Officials overlooked their own work in clinics, etc.
My 91��Ƶ experience did not include study abroad, but my years there (1965-67) spurred my exposure to unjust situations and a desire for change.

Comments on: Students reflections from spring South Africa intercultural

By: Ruth Hoover Seitz '67