Julia Mavimbela

Julia Nompi Mavimbela (20 December 1917^[1] – 16 July 2000^[2]) was a leader of women's organizations in South Africa.

Mavimbela was a president of the group National Women of South Africa. She also organized Women for Peace, a group that aimed to have a peaceful transition to true democracy in South Africa.^[3] She was involved in organizing garden planting initiatives in Soweto.^[4]

Mavimbela joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1981. She has since served as a Relief Society president and a public affairs director in the church.^[5] In 1995, she was honored at Brigham Young University for "outstanding contribution to a profession, a community, a religion."^[6] She was featured in the LDS Church video Lives of Service.^[2][7]

She was married, but her husband John was killed in 1955, leaving her widowed with her several children.^[8]

Famous quote

"I was blessed to get an education available to few black women in Africa at that time. Every woman should be able to get an education so she can serve others."^[9]

Works

• Mavimbela, Julia (1990). "I Speak from My Heart: The Story of A Black South African Woman". In Cornwall, Marie; Howe, Susan (eds). In Women of Wisdom and Knowledge. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. pp. 61–72. ISBN 0-87579-310-X. OCLC 20828527.

See also

• Black Mormons
• Black people and Mormonism

Notes

1. Florence 1990
2. "Obituaries: Julia Nompi Mavimbela", Church News, 2000-08-12
3. "South African women's council elects LDS as its vice president", Church News, 1991-11-23
4. Mostert, Mary (11 November 1996). "Julia Mavimbela - Common Sense at the World Food Summit". Banner of Liberty (bannerofliberty.com). Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Reprint from Michael Reagan's MONTHLY MONITOR
5. LeBaron 1995
6. Swinton, Heidi S. (1996). "Nurse This Little Plot". Pioneer Spirit: Modern-Day Stories of Courage and Conviction. ISBN 1-57345-192-4.
7. Dockstader, Julie A. (1991-08-17), "Video tells story of Church in Africa", Church News
8. Boothe, Randall (4 February 2003). "Seasons of Choice". Brigham Young University.
9. Mavimbela, Julia. "I was blessed to get an education...". FamousQuotes.com. Retrieved 2008-04-18.

References

• Allen, James B. (Spring 1992), "On Becoming a Universal Church: Some Historical Perspectives" (PDF), Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 25 (1): 13–36
• Clark, Andrew (Winter 1994), "The Fading Curse of Cain: Mormonism in South Africa" (PDF), Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 27 (4): 41–56
• Florence, Giles H., Jr. (April 1990), "Portraits", Ensign |contribution= ignored (help)
• Garr, Arnold K. et al. Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000), p. 721-722 ISBN 978-1-57345-822-1 OCLC 44634356
• LeBaron, Dale (March 1995), "Julia Mavimbela", Liahona