Four months after being released from prison in South Africa, Nelson Mandela appeared in Los Angeles at a sold-out rally for freedom at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 70,000+ people watched the Babylon Warriors, Ice T, Tone Loc, Kris Kristofferson, and other musical acts perform songs of protest and freedom. Nelson Mandela thanks and waves to the crowd at the 3:25 mark (click here).
According to news reports at the time, Mandela's full words to the crowd were:
“We could not have left the United States without visiting the city which daily nourished the dreams of millions of people the world over,” Mandela told an estimated 70,000 people who filled the Coliseum, many waving fists and chanting his name. “Many would know Los Angeles as the unchallenged capital of motion pictures, many would regard your city as the city of glamour and splendor.
“We who have suffered and continue to suffer the pain of oppression know that underneath that face of Los Angeles lies the great and noble spirit of the citizenry. We who fight for human rights know the depths of the human spirit running through the hills and valleys of the state of California.”
RIP NELSON MANDELA
