Nelson Mandela was eager to share his message of ending racial segregation in South Africa and Atlanta — ground zero in the fight for civil rights in the United States — was one of his stops during an eight-city American tour in 1990.
On that summer day, he placed a wreath at the tomb of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., met with civil rights leaders at Big Bethel AME Church, spoke at Morehouse College's King Chapel and inspired more than 50,000 at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Among the tens of thousands of people who saw, heard and touched him were Ambassador Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King and Rev. Joseph E. Lowery — a few of the symbols of the fight against racial discrimination in the United States.
More about Mandela's Atlanta connections
About the Author
