Which South African lack consciousness leader died from severe brain damage while in police custody in 1977?
That was Steve (Stephen) Biko. He only lived to be 30, but in those 30 years he never wavered from his belief that the “black consciousness” had to be raised in South Africa. He wanted the youth of South Africa to reject fear of and control by the white rulers. He said he “outgrew” what Apartheid had tried to condition him to be. Repeatedly detained by police and banned from some cities, Biko was never charged with any crime. Biko’s death probably resonated around the world much more than his life did because of the brutality and blatant hatred evident in the police beating that culminated in his death. It wasn’t until 1997 that 5 police officers admitted their complicity in the beating that gave Biko a brain hemorrhage.
