There is no better way to propose peace for a people than to first know the struggle that carried them there. Mary Burton, fierce worker of justice and a gentle friend, would know.

Apartheid was a dark period in South Africa. The fundamental belief that all people are created equal was challenged in violent and oppressive ways. Economic disparity and societal unrest grew deep roots under leaders who believed whites were of a higher class than blacks. Years of pain accumulated until people like Burton stood up, raising banners and voices declaring that it was time for change.

From her childhood days in Great Britain to her teenage years in Argentina, Burton considered different occupations. She didn’t have lofty dreams of being a political activist, but settled on journalism. After marrying her South African husband, the couple moved to Apartheid South Africa in 1961. She grew to be interested in the problems that afflicted her surroundings. She asked questions when things didn’t make sense.

Burton saw the problems around her and how they were rooted in a faulty government run by people like former prime minister P.W. Botha. She was compelled to take action. In 1964 she joined the women’s resistance to Apartheid called the Black Sash, and was later named president. They wrote petitions to local government officials resisting apartheid policy. They held signs in silent protests. Formally made up of middle and upper class white women, membership to the Black Sash was extended to include black and colored women. This change was argued successfully by Burton. She later described this group as the beginning of her political education. In addition, she found strength in being a part of a group. These women made a commitment to come together against Apartheid, and it made the task seem less insurmountable.

Students who go on the West Chester University Honors’ College trips to South Africa meet Mary Burton and hear about the Black Sash women. Their reactions are recounted in the book Journey to South Africa (J2SA):

“The students were impressed by the bravery of these women and their willingness to risk social repercussions from other white South Africans to obtain liberty for people who were not their families or neighbors…this as a leadership quality they had not considered before.” (J2SA)

Burton showed great passion and determination in this and in her other roles as Provincial Elections Officer at the first democratic elections post-apartheid and as commissioner on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Evident in her interviews with previous trips, the same fire for justice that drove her years ago drives her today. Even when justice is difficult to pursue, her life has shown that it is important to pursue.

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"...people who are committed to liberty and justice don’t actually retire from that work; instead, those values animate their lives even into their later years." (J2SA)