Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African leader in the fight against apartheid and institutional racism in South Africa. He was imprisoned for twenty-seven years on Robben Island, refusing to be released early in exchange for renouncing his beliefs. Four years after his release from prison, Mandela became the first Black president elected in a fully representative election in South Africa, and he served as head of state from 1994–1999. Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2014.