Lilian Ngoyi: Standing Up to Apartheid

Lilian Ngoyi was one of the most important women in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, yet her story is still not widely known outside the country. A garment worker, mother, trade unionist and gifted political organizer, Ngoyi rose to become a leading figure in the African National Congress and helped organize the historic 1956 Women’s March, when around 20,000 women gathered outside South Africa’s government buildings to protest the pass laws. But her activism came at a tremendous personal cost. Arrested for treason and later subjected to years of banning orders and surveillance, Ngoyi spent the final years of her life largely silenced by the government she had challenged. This is the story of the woman who helped thousands find their political voice.