Long-denied rights and freedoms would not have been granted to the now multiracial South Africa if it were not for two icons of black history who fought against apartheid. The recurring theme in the articles “Steve Biko” and “Obituaries; Nelson Mandela” is that both fought forcefully against apartheid and worked to overthrow the oppression of the black race to restore their basic human rights. Steve Biko began his career as an activist at the age of 20 and founded a movement called The Black Consciousness which grew rapidly. Due to the growth, the government began jailing hundreds of members of the movement and asked the police to hack his phone to monitor his every move. Biko was then banned by the government from all methods that supported the struggle, although despite the ban, Biko continued to support the cause using various illegal strategies. The police immediately arrested him without charge and treated him in an offensive and vulgar manner. Biko died that year from severe brain damage, and 17 years later Nelson Mandela, another leader of the struggle, was elected president in free and open elections. Hoping to give black South Africans the right to vote along with other rights while society only worsened, Mandela opened the country's first black law firm in 1952. Then, in 1960, 69 peaceful protestors were killed, enraging Mandela , forcing him to lead a bombing campaign against official government sites and offices. Because of the campaign, he would spend the next 27 years of his life in prison, doing heavy labor in a limestone quarry. However, the battle was not over yet, as these two protestors would continue to fight until the day Apartheid was overthrown. Steve Biko on the immense... middle of paper... that Mandela had abandoned his commitment because of who he was and the way he emphasized and preached non-violence. Despite this, both protesters suffered emotional and physical abuse, but still managed to improve the laws and mentality towards the black South African race in a peaceful way recognized today. Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko were the two icons who created the new equality and multiracial South Africa. They fought a long and hard battle against apartheid and sacrificed their lives for the cause. They improved the basic human rights and laws of blacks in South Africa, while lifting the oppression of the race. They put their desires and self-respect on the back burner all their lives to give pride and justice to their people. These two peaceful protestors will live forever in the hearts of the black race and go down in history globally.