Nelson Mandela's grandson makes stop in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — He’s a man whose mission, compassion and purpose will never be forgotten.

Nelson Mandela not only helped change South Africa, but the world, and now his grandson Ndaba Mandela is encouraging millennials to also take control of their destiny.

“I say to the young people – you have Nelson Mandela inside of you,” he said.

Mandela was the keynote speaker for the University of North Florida's Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship luncheon. He spoke about living with his grandfather for a time and visiting him in prison. While in town, he spoke about “Madiba” – a four-part mini-series starring Lawrence Fishburn -- and “Africa Rising” -- which he co-founded and now heads as chairman. The goal is to break African stereotypes, focus on promoting positive images and Nelson’s vision.

“He believed that young people are the future of the world. And so, focused a lot of his energy trying to teach young people, which is the same thing this organization is doing to make them understand the power they have to change the world,” Mandela continued.

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Nelson Mandela spent his life fighting against apartheid and inequality. He spent 27 years in prison, but when he emerged, he forgave those who mistreated him and became president of South Africa. We asked Ndaba Mandela his thoughts about America’s current climate and what we can learn from his grandfather.

“There’s a lot going on in America and around the world," he said. "This government has to be careful how they manage the situation. Division can never be something good and these policies can never benefit anyone on a long-term basis. Of course it’s disappointing, because people of the world want to see people progressing, right? We don’t want to go back to the stone ages. We want to leave that in the past and create a better future for our children.”

Nelson would have turned 100 years old in 2018. To celebrate, a series of centennial events will be held worldwide. For more details, sign up for email updates at mandelacentennial.org.

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