Nelson Mandela

"Nelson Mandela of South Africa is one of the most important figures of the last century. Mandela could have had an elevated place in South Africa 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 Africa's brutal white supremacist apartheid regime. After 25 years in prison, Mandela walked free to become the first black president in South Africa's first multi-racial election. Refusing to equate victory with revenge, he called on both supporters and former oppressors to work to heal his fragile country."