Did you know Nelson Mandela was once labeled a “terrorist” by the U.S. government?

Yes — and it’s one of the most striking truths about how freedom fighters are often misrepresented in their time.

Nelson Mandela was once labeled a “terrorist” by the U.S. government?

Before he became a global symbol of peace and justice, Nelson Mandela — South Africa’s anti-apartheid leader and future president — was branded a terrorist by several Western governments, including the United States.

Mandela remained on the U.S. terrorist watchlist until 2008, even after:

Winning the Nobel Peace Prize (1993)

Becoming President of South Africa (1994)

Being celebrated worldwide for his leadership and forgiveness

Why? Because Mandela had co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), which used sabotage against apartheid structures — a system that violently oppressed South Africa’s Black majority.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for resisting apartheid, yet he refused to denounce armed struggle without meaningful reform — making him a controversial figure to those who preferred the status quo.

Today, he is rightly remembered as a hero of justice, but this fact reminds us:

“Yesterday’s ‘terrorist’ can become tomorrow’s peacemaker — depending on who writes the history.”

Quote for Thought
“Nelson Mandela was not changed by prison — he changed the world after walking out of it.”
— Shadows of Justice