President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday said their thoughts were with civil rights icon Nelson Mandela and his family on the occasion of the former South African president’s 95th birthday.
“Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba’s former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip to South Africa, and we will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility,” the Obamas said in a statement.
“On Nelson Mandela International Day, people everywhere have the opportunity to honor Madiba through individual and collective acts of service. Through our own lives, by heeding his example, we can honor the man who showed his own people – and the world – the path to justice, equality, and freedom,” the statement continued.
