“United a nation, captivated a world”. That’s the subheadline perched on top of the Tribune’s fine front-page coverage of Nelson Mandela’s death and legacy one day after his passing.
“Sought to unite a nation” would have been more accurate, though, because a racially united South Africa is still a work in progress. I remember seeing a newspaper photo of then-President Mandela meeting with a small group of university students. The majority, appropriately enough, were black. Clustered in a corner of the shot were a handful of whites. That image told me more than whatever the caption read.
This wasn’t a surprise. You don’t undo generations of inequities and achieve brotherhood overnight. 150 years after America’s Emancipation Proclamation, we’re still trying to get everyone to get along. But as long as there are a few leaders out there with the unbreakable positive spirit of Mr. Mandela, we can take comfort in knowing that somebody is hoping and trying.
— Tom Gregg, Niles
