On June 9, 1976, South African student leaders held final organizing meetings for what would become the Soweto Uprising on June 16. The protest, sparked by the government\’s mandate to enforce Afrikaans as the language of instruction, was rooted in broader frustrations over the apartheid education system. Students from Soweto schools like Morris Isaacson and Naledi High meticulously planned routes and messages for the march. The date marks the last calm before the eruption of youth-led resistance that changed the trajectory of South African liberation efforts. By planning nonviolent action, these students demonstrated tactical brilliance and moral courage, and their actions would inspire global solidarity.
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