Author Archives: Teresa Barnes

South Africa: A Report Card

Posted on 09/14/2026 by Teresa Barnes

This is an edited version of a talk given at the Illini Union, June 6, 2026 at “Divestment and Reflection: 40 Years Since the University of Illinois Anti-Apartheid Protests and Arrests.” Colonialism poured poison into the soil of South Africa … Continue reading →

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This Black Life Matters

Posted on 09/03/2015 by Teresa Barnes

Michael Brown was killed a year ago. They used to say, “It’s been a long, hot summer” but it’s been another long, hot, horror-filled year in the US; every single day another Michael Brown. This is someone I know. In … Continue reading →

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Public historians, this is your moment!

Posted on 05/07/2015 by Teresa Barnes

In the past few weeks, statues of male historic figures in public places in South Africa have been splashed with poo and paint of all hues. It has become a veritable underground movement. Cecil Rhodes’ statue has been removed from … Continue reading →

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Mandela Remembered by Historian Teresa Barnes

Posted on 02/01/2014 by Teresa Barnes

Appeared originally at U of I News Bureau, 12/6/2013 Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an icon in the struggle that ended the country’s system of racial apartheid, died Dec. 5. He was 95. Teresa Barnes is a … Continue reading →

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