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 of ...

, protested, raised funds for refugees, 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. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

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, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. 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, Sylvia Hill, Sandra Hill, and

Karen Jefferson Karen L. Jefferson is an American archivist who serves as the Head of Archives and Special Collections at the Atlanta University Center. She has been a member of the Society of American Archivists for almost 40 years, serving on the Council from ...

. Later, Joseph Jordan and Ira Stohlman joined. Jordan helped SASP set up "focus groups, educational campaigns, and demonstrations against U.S. southern Africa policy." Former member of SANC, Sandra Rattley who worked at Howard's radio station,

WHUR-FM WHUR-FM (96.3 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary radio station that is licensed to Washington D.C., and serving the Metro D.C. area. It is owned and operated by Howard University, making it one of the few commercial radio stations in the Un ...

, broadcast SASP programming. In addition, SASP raised funds to aid refugees in Southern Africa. During the 1985 and 1986 picketing of the South African Embassy, SASP "played a major role." SASP published a quarterly newsletter called ''Struggle''.

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

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

References

Sources

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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.