Becoming Nelson Mandela

Today is Nelson Mandela's birthday.
In 1964, facing a possible death sentence for treason, Nelson Mandela stood up in front of a packed courtroom in South Africa and delivered what would later be called his "I am prepared to die" speech. In many ways, that speech turned Mandela into the leader he was to become. These were the last words the world would hear from Mandela for 27 years:

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before being released in 1990. Four years later he was President of a new South Africa.
Happy birthday, Nelson Mandela.