; Whereas despite her imprisonment and encounters with police, Winnie Mandela continued her activism; Whereas, in 1977, Winnie Mandela was banished by the South African Government to the remote town of Brandfort, where neighbors were forbidden to speak to her, and she was banned from meeting with more than one person at a time; Whereas the 1977 banning order against Winnie Mandela was only one of multiple government orders issued to ban or restrict her social contact and silence her; Whereas Winnie Mandela succeeded in empowering and galvanizing women, in particular, to rise up and speak out against the abuses of the apartheid regime in South Africa, and Winnie Mandela popularized the statement, When you strike a woman, you strike a rock , which indicated that women were determined in their efforts to end apartheid and which symbolized the strength and fortitude of women who could not, and would not, be moved; Whereas, in 1985, Winnie Mandela inspired the introduction of a joint resolution in the United States House of Representatives sponsored by the late Representative George Crockett of Michigan, and cosponsored by fifty-eight other Members of Congress, to proclaim Nomzamo Winnie Mandela to be an honorary citizen of the United States and condemn her banishment to Brandfort, South Africa; Whereas, on February 11, 1990, as a result of Winnie Mandela’s activism, domestic efforts in South Africa, and international outrage, Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years of imprisonment declaring a deep appreciation for the strength given to [him] … by [his] beloved wife ; Whereas although Winnie Mandela was the wife of Nelson Mandela, who became President of South Africa in May 1994, Winnie Mandela was a historic figure and leader in South Africa in her own right; Whereas Winnie Mandela was elected to serve as the president of the African National Congress Women’s League in 1993; Whereas, in 1994, Winnie Mandela was elected to serve as a Member of South Africa’s Parliament