U-Matic

DAD @ Press conf. for Mandela: Mandela Press Conf.

U-Matic S tape containing the first of two parts of footage of the June 11, 1990 press conference held by Mayor Coleman A. Young to announce plans for Nelson Mandela's visit to Detroit scheduled for June 28th, 1990. The footage is continued on tape 2015.009.074.

The recording opens with Mayor Young explaining the details and schedule of Mandela's visit. He explains that Mandela will give a brief press conference at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport after his plane lands at 3 P.M.. During this portion of the press conference, Young omits mention of Mandela's visit to the Ford Rouge Complex after the airport, however he corrects this during the question and answer portion later in the tape. Mandela's next stop which Young names here is the Westin Hotel for rest and hopefully to take part in a pair of simultaneous receptions, one for major donors and the other for major supporters. At 9 P.M. he then will go to Tiger Stadium for the Amandla Mandela Detroit '90 rally. Following a night of rest at the hotel, Mandela will then get breakfast with a group of fellow South Africans before departing for Los Angeles.

Young mentions that 20,000 tickets have already been reserved for the Tiger Stadium event, and he expects all 49,000 to be claimed. He suggests potential locations to accommodate overflow crowds.

He then recognizes the participation of organized labor in the event, and recognizes Gerald Bantom of the U.A.W., who is in attendance at the press conference in the place of U.A.W. Owen Bieber. He also recognizes Rev. Charles Butler, co-chair of the steering committee for the event, and Ralph Snyder of Tiger Stadium. He also lists the members of the subcommittees behind planning the event, as the camera occasionally moves about the room to show them: Rev. Wendell Anthony of Fellowship Chapel, Margaret Baylor of TransAfrica, Rev. Jim Holley of Little Rock Baptist Church, Paul Hubbard of New Detroit, Dr. Arthur Johnson of the N.A.A.C.P. and Wayne State University, Rev. Mangedwa C. Nyathi of Hartford Avenue Memorial Baptist Church, Mayor John Millson of Windsor, David Adamany of Wayne State University, Larry Patrick of the Detroit Board of Education, and City Councilwoman Erma Henderson. He expresses that he expects the event to raise a million dollars, and notes that Detroit was the U.S. city that raised the most money when Bishop Desmond Tutu previously visited.

Young then invites Rev. Charles Butler to the podium. Rev. Butler shares his excitement for the event and expresses that he believes the vision of a post apartheid in South Africa can be a model for people worldwide.

Next Bantam speaks very briefly on behalf of organized labor. Afterward Young remarks that he knew Bantam's father from his time in Local 600.

Young promotes the sale of tickets then begins taking questions from the press. The first round of questions concern the price tiers of tickets, the number of $1000 level tickets sold, the potential for an overflow location, press access to Mandela, the streamlining of Mandela's busy schedule, and meetings between members of the business community and Mandela. When asked about major donors, Young mentions the City of Windsor, several unnamed churches, the U.A.W., and N.B.D. Next, it is here where a reporter asks about the Ford Rouge Complex as a stop in the itinerary and Young corrects his earlier statement. He and an off camera voice break down the number of seats priced at each tier next. In the next series of questions he affirms that the event will be filmed, talks about Mandela's ties to labor, mentions plans still unfolding concerning Winnie Mandela, talks in general about the programming at Tiger Stadium, and mentions security measures. Young states that he personally has donated $10,000 toward the cause. He then takes further questions about Windsor's role, and about what questions he personally has for Mandela. At the request of a member of the press Rev. Nyathi takes the podium to address the group. He speaks in brief about the purpose of the event, then answers a question his role in securing Detroit as a spot on Mandela's tour, which he chalks up to the city's ties to organized labor. Young returns to the podium to answer questions about components geared toward children, the Secret Service's involvement, his own role in soliciting donations from corporations, media coverage, the overflow venue again, the possibility that Mandela might need to cut his tour short, and security again,

Young then recognizes more members of the committee behind the event: Jerry Moshier of the Shrine of the Black Madonna, Rev. Charles Adams, Rev. Wendell Anthony, Margaret Baylor, Owen Bieber, Governor James Blanchard, Bishop P.A. Brooks, Rev. Charles Butler, Bishop Judith Craig, Bishop David Ellis, Rev. Edward Gehres, Erma Henderson, Rev. Milton Henry, Ron Hewitt, Rev. Jim Holley, Paul Hubbard, and Martha Scott. The recording then ends, continuing on tape 2015.009.074

The recording is on a 3M UCA 30S U-Matic S tape with a UCA label on its top. The cassette is in a black plastic latching 3M UCA 30S case with a UCA label on the cover..