Tribute: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela of South Africa is one of the most important figures of the last century. He was symbol of the struggle against racial and political oppression, and a model for sustaining that struggle with grace and decency. Born into an elite family of the Thembu people, Mandela could have had an elevated place under European control, but he chose a different route. He became a successful lawyer, political activist, national leader, fugitive guerrilla, and finally a prisoner of South Afric...