Amherst College Honors Nelson Mandela

"We are all South Africans now." —Nelson Mandela, May 12, 2005

On May 12, 2005, before a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty and friends of Amherst College in Saint Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan, former South African president Nelson Mandela challenged the United States to "work toward correcting the inequities in the public schools." Amherst College awarded extraordinary doctoral degrees to Mandela and his wife Graça Machel, the former minister of education in Mozambique. See more:

• Full text of Nelson Mandela's speech
• Honorary Degree Citations
• Photo Gallery
• Amherst news release
• Boston Globe article, "Mandela challenges selective colleges to widen opportunity for needy students"
• NPR story, "Mandela, Bush Discuss Education, AIDS in Africa"
• Mandela Scholars

See Video of the Event

Watch video on a high-speed connection:

• Anthony W. Marx speaks and awards degrees to Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel
• Nelson Mandela delivers address to Amherst College

Watch video on a low-speed connection:

• Anthony W. Marx speaks and awards degrees to Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel
• Nelson Mandela delivers address to Amherst College

This event was sponsored in part by the Victor S. Johnson Lectureship Fund.

Photo: Diane Bondareff