As the world celebrated Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday yesterday, Bermuda recognised the efforts of some of its own local heroes who fought against the odds for social justice.

Glenn Fubler — Imagine 2009 co-chair and a major player in Bermuda's anti-apartheid movement — hosted a reception at City Hall, at which people of all ages were reminded of the efforts of today's elders.

Seniors who won recognition included:

• Members of the Hill Group: Marion Dejean, Carol Hill and Georgine Hill, who met in the early 1950s and produced the document: "An Analysis Of Bermuda's Social Ills"

• Members of the Progressive Group: Will Francis, Gerald and Izola Harvey, Clifford and Florence Maxwell, Erskine Simmons and Eugene Woods, who initiated and planned the theatre boycott;

• Committee for Universal Adult Suffrage: Gaynette Hayward and Edwena Smith, who were involved in a campaign led by Roosevelt Brown to secure the right of all adults to vote in 1960;

• Robert Barritt, a local artist who depicted the theatre boycott;

• Ottiwell Simmons, who helped revive the labour movement as president of Bermuda Industrial Union;

• Barbara Ball, who played a key role in the Belco crisis of 1965 and served the union for 30 years;

• Warren Brown, who helped organise a conversation between blacks and whites to promote harmony in the mid 1960s;

• Canon Thomas Nisbett, who served a calming role during the 1981 labour crisis.