The First Lady and her family spent Wednesday, June 22 in Soweto, Johannesburg — the sprawling South African township of over a million, once home to such giants as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and scene of so many dramatic events of the struggle against apartheid — including those that occurred at Regina Mundi church, where the First Lady gave the keynote address at the US-sponsored Young African Womens Leaders Forum. Regina Mundi, like Soweto itself, was the beating heart of the anti-apartheid movement, a place where those involved in the struggle gathered to find faith, build support and makes plans to free their country. On June 16, 1976, 35 years ago this month, as Soweto's youth came together to demonstrate against apartheid laws, police opened fire, killing some, wounding others, and leaving bullet holes in the walls of sacred Regina Mundi, where a group of students sought refuge. That day, now called Youth Day in South Africa, galvanized the anti-apartheid movement and international awareness of the struggle.
Fonte: White House