1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and you're listening to 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast for people interested 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: in the big and small moments in history. Today is April. 5 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: The day was April eighth, nineteen o five. Anti apartheid 6 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: activist Helen Joseph was born. Helen was born Helen Beatrice 7 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: May Finnel in Sussex, England. She grew up in London, 8 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: where she began attending King's College of the University of London. 9 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: She majored in English and got her bachelor's degree in ninete. 10 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: Helen then moved to India to teach at a school 11 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: for girls in Hydera, bod She taught there for a 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: few years before she moved to Durban, South Africa in 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty one. There she met and married a dentist 14 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: named Billie jose Of, who was seventeen years older than her. 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: Helen lived the life of a socialite, mixing with the 16 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: white upper middle class, but by the time World War 17 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: Two started in nineteen thirty nine, the couple had grown apart. 18 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: During World War Two, Helen served as an information and 19 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: welfare officer and the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Through her work, 20 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: she became more aware of social and political issues in 21 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: South Africa. She saw that black people were being dispossessed 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: and how they were being discriminated against in areas like 23 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 1: housing and education. After the war, Helen began directing community 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: health centers in Johannesburg and Cape Town. She helped found 25 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: the Congress of Democrats, which was the white wing of 26 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: the African National Congress. In nineteen fifty one, she took 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: a job as secretary director of the Medical Aid Fund 28 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: of the Garment Workers Union and the Transpaal Province. At 29 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: the time, Sally Sachs was the head of the Garment 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: Workers Union. Sachs had a big influence on Helen. Helen 31 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: became more opposed to apartheid and exposed to left wing politics. 32 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty four, she helped organize a conference for 33 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: the Federation of South African Women, which she later became 34 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: secretary of. In nineteen fifty five, she was one of 35 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: the people who read out clauses of the Freedom Charter 36 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: at the Congress of the People held at cliff Fontine. 37 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: The Freedom Charter was a statement that laid out a 38 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: vision for a united and democratic South Africa. The next year, 39 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: Helen helped lead a march to the Union Buildings in 40 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: Pretoria to protest past laws, which were laws that required 41 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: non white people to carry documents that authorized their presence 42 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: and restricted areas. Helen's opposition did lead to her persecution, 43 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: as she was arrested for high treason in nineteen fifty 44 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: six and later banned. She was acquitted years later, but 45 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty two she was still prohibited from getting 46 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: visitors on weekends or nights, or socializing with more than 47 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: one person at once. Helen was put under house arrest 48 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: and she faced assassination attempts over the years. Meanwhile, the 49 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: apartheid government was still squashing other opponents. It banned the 50 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: Congress of Democrats, and it passed the Sabotage Act, which 51 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: broadened the definition of sabotage. Anti apartheid leader Nelson Mandela 52 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: was arrested and imprisoned, but anti apartheid activity continued, and 53 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: Helen continued to be a part of that resistance. She 54 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: became a sponsor of the United Democratic Front, which served 55 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: as the legal internal wing of the banned African National Congress. 56 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: In the last years of Helen's life, some reforms had 57 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: begun to take place. Mandela was released from prison in 58 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: nineteen nine. Racial restrictions in public places were lifted. Helen 59 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: died in Johannesburg in December of nine. She wrote three books, 60 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: If This Be Treason, about the treason trial. She was 61 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: a part of Tomorrow's Sun and an autobiography called Side 62 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: by Side. I'm Eve chef Cote and hopefully you know 63 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 64 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: And if you haven't gotten your Philip history, you can 65 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: check us out on social media on Facebook, Twitter, or 66 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: Instagram at t d I h C podcast. You can 67 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: also send us an email if you have anything you 68 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: want to tell us at this Day at i heart 69 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks again for listening to the podcast 70 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 71 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 72 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.