By Rich Bockmann
The borough’s elected officials mourned the death of Nelson Mandela, many citing the former South African president as a source of personal inspiration.
Mandela died Thursday at the age of 95 at his home in Johannesberg after battling a recurring lung infection.
“Nelson Mandela has inspired me in my public in my public life to offer a voice for the voiceless, and keep faith that the human race can always overcome that which divides it,” said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing).
“Nelson Mandela is a hero for delivering freedom to millions of South Africans. But his greatest legacy will be what he did next. With great moral courage, he chose reconciliation over reprisal, forgiveness over spite and love over hate,” she added. “In so doing, he built a South Africa for all, enshrined by one of the most just, fairest and progressive constitutions in the world. The result is a democratic South Africa that is building bridges in its own land and throughout Africa.”
Mandela spent 27 years as a political prisoner for his opposition to apartheid. As a result of intense international pressure, he was released in 1990 and was elected president of South Africa in 1994.
He was the 1993 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Despite the suffering he endured at the hands of the apartheid government, Mandela devoted himself after his release from prison not to settling old scores, but to building an inclusive society where all South Africans could live in freedom and in harmony with one another,” Borough President Helen Marshall said. “His actions throughout his life, including during his historic tenure as South Africa’s first black president, have served as an inspiration to me and to the billions of people throughout the world who are mourning his loss today.”
Shortly after his release from prison Mandela visited New York City in 1990, and in a speech on the steps of City Hall he declared the city held a special meaning for his people.
““I will always remember Nelson Mandela’s electrifying visit to New York shortly after his release from prison,” U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) said. “I will always cherish having met Nelson Mandela on several occasions — especially the laughter, stories, and insight he shared with me and other members of a congressional delegation during a wonderful lunch at his home. Thank you, Madiba, for all you have done not only for South Africa but for the world.”
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
