James Forbes, senior minister of Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York, says:

I remember when I was preaching about South African apartheid. I was confronting people on enriching ourselves at the expense of the poor. Then I looked at my gold ring. South Africa was a leading gold producer. I got the impulse to no longer wear gold that's benefiting the apartheid system. I happened to be preaching at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan. So I took the ring off and left it there.

Later, a woman from Littleton, Colorado, introduced me on Sunday morning by taking off her diamond and gold wedding band and saying, "Listen!" When I finished preaching, the congregation recognized the intensity of our commitment and joined the struggle for freedom in South Africa.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he came to Riverside to thank us personally.