The Southern Africa Support Project (SASP) was an anti-apartheid, grassroots non-governmental organization. Previously, it was called the Southern African News Collective (SANC) and started after the 6th Pan-African Congress in 1974. SASP raised awareness of issues facing people in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number ...

, protested, raised funds for

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s, and published a newsletter.

History

The SASP was a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

organization developed after the 6th Pan-African Congress (6PAC) held in 1974. After 6PAC, Sylvia I. B. Hill and others returned to Washington, D.C. where they started a group called the Southern African News Collective (SANC). However, members of SANC felt there should be more emphasis on

praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion * Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised *Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

, and started the SASP in June 1978. The organization was partly based at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

. SASP raised awareness of the struggles of oppressed people in the area of

. They held public events and a "Southern Africa Week" each year that focused on different countries in the region. Founding members included

Kathy Flewellen Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports *Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer *Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball player ...

, Sylvia Hill, Sandra Hill, and Karen Jefferson. Later, Joseph Jordan and

Ira Stohlman Ira or IRA may refer to: * Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name * Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status o ...

joined. Jordan helped SASP set up "focus groups, educational campaigns, and demonstrations against U.S. southern Africa policy." Former member of SANC,

Sandra Rattley Sandra or SANDRA may refer to: People * Sandra (given name) * Sandra (singer) (born 1962), German pop singer * Margaretha Sandra (1629–1674), Dutch soldier * Sandra (orangutan), who won the legal right to be defined as a "non-human person" Pl ...

who worked at Howard's radio station, WHUR-FM, broadcast SASP programming. In addition, SASP raised funds to aid

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s in Southern Africa. During the 1985 and 1986 picketing of the South African Embassy, SASP "played a major role." SASP published a quarterly

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

called ''Struggle''.

Archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

and SASP member, Jefferson, organized the SASP collection of ''Struggle'' and other materials, many of which were later donated to Howard University.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

''Struggle'', vol. 10, No. 2

Southern African Week

Southern Africa Support Project
- Moorland-Springarn Research Center
Southern Africa Support Project, 1987-1982
{{Authority control Anti-Apartheid organisations Civil rights organizations in the United States 1978 establishments in Washington, D.C.