FEBRUARY 11

On this date in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison.  He had been encarcerated almost 27 years.  He was convicted of various charges related to his activism on behalf of black citizens mistreated by racial bias and the aparthied government.  

Mandela was born and raised in the Republic of South Africa.  He was 71 years old when he was released from prison. Four years after his release, he was elected president of the country and he held that position for five years.  He dedicated his whole life to political causes and the blight of aids in Africa.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. 

In 2009, the United Nations decreed that his birthday, July 18, would henceforth be known as Mandela Day.  He is 94 and in poor health.

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