Obituaries

Hank Johnson on Mandela: 'A Life of Triumph Over Evil, Adversity'

Nelson Mandela, dead at 95

Rep. Hank Johnson, who represents Georgia District 4 in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement after the death Thursday of former South African president and civil rights icon, Nelson Mandela. Mandela was 95.

BBC reported that Mandela "had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital." 

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Johnson referred to a Mandela speech he attended in 1990 at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium not long after Mandela had been released from a South African jail.

“What impressed me most about Nelson Mandela was his humble spirit of forgiveness and love towards those who persecuted him. Neither angry nor vindictive, and with great courage and dignity, he endured 27 years in prison, sacrificing his liberty for the sake of all South Africans. Ultimately, he lived a life of triumph over evil and adversity, leaving the world a better place for his journey amongst us. The spirit of his life will remain in my heart as long as I live.”

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Johnson’s district stretches through much of DeKalb County and into south Gwinnett County.

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