Local noted African Scholar and former Lincoln University President, Dr. Niara Sudarkasa had this to say about her personal encounter with the great President Nelson Mendela. “I was fortunate to be one of the Black College presidents invited to accompany Mr. Mandela, his wife Winnie, and their entourage on some of their stops during their first visit to the United States in 1990. I also met with Mr. Mandela when he and President deKlerk came to Philadelphia in 1993 to receive Pennsylvania’s Liberty Bell Award. The photo of Mr. Mandela with myself and my late husband, John L. Clark, was taken in 1993 at the first dinner honoring Mr. Mandela and deKlerk. In 2004, I was one of the guests invited to a Conference held in Pretoria in honor of the 10th anniversary of Mr. Mandela’s election as South Africa’s first democratically elected President. As so many speakers have said since Mr. Mandela died last week, I am honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to meet one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century.”
