Albertina Sisulu
A steadfast pillar of the anti-apartheid movement, she nurtured the struggle from her Soweto home while enduring decades of state persecution.
1918–2011 (age 93)·South African anti-apartheid activist·Birthday: October 21·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Albertina Sisulu was not merely the wife of activist Walter Sisulu; she was a formidable political force in her own right. A trained nurse, she channeled her innate caregiving into a lifelong fight for justice, transforming her home into a nerve center for the African National Congress. While her husband was imprisoned on Robben Island for 26 years, she held the family and the community together, earning the affectionate title 'Ma Sisulu.' Her activism was relentless and multifaceted: she was a leading figure in the Federation of South African Women, a key organizer of the 1956 Women's March, and later the co-president of the mass-based United Democratic Front in the 1980s. The apartheid state met her resolve with bannings, house arrests, and imprisonment. Her quiet dignity and unwavering moral clarity made her one of the most respected figures in the struggle, a true mother of the nation who lived to cast her vote in South Africa's first democratic election.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Albertina was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Albertina Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Albertina's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2011Died at 93
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Co-founded and served as the first co-president of the United Democratic Front, a crucial internal anti-apartheid coalition.
- Led the historic 1956 Women's March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria alongside Lilian Ngoyi.
- Served as a member of the first democratic Parliament of South Africa after the fall of apartheid.
- Endured nearly 20 years of repeated government banning orders restricting her movement and speech.
Did You Know?
She and Walter Sisulu had five children, and also raised children of other anti-apartheid activists, including orphaned siblings.
She was the first woman to be arrested under the General Laws Amendment Act of 1963, which allowed for 90-day detention.
One of her sons, Max Sisulu, later became the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa.
She worked as a midwife, delivering babies for both black and white mothers in Johannesburg.
“We have to be strong if we are to survive. We have to be united if we are to move forward.”
