Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, died on Decembr5, 2013 at 95.
Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. He grew up in a poor village in South Africa. At school, Mandela learned about African history and the fight againstracism(种族歧视).He wanted to help his countrymen. Later Mandela studied law at a university. He also joined a group that fought againstapartheid(种族隔离).At that time, in South Africa, blacks were not allowed to use the same public toilets or chairs as whites, and they couldn't travel on the same buses as whites, either. Mandela hated this and he traveled all over South Africa and fought to end apartheid. As a result, he was put intoprison(监狱) and stayed about 27 years there.
On February 10, 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerkreleased(释放)Mandela from prison, and the two worked together to end apartheid. Three years later, they won the Nobel Peace Prize,
In1994, Mandela became President of South Africa. One year later, he created the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, a charity that helps poor South African children." Children are the future of our country," he said in an interview in2002. "They must be given love."
Mandela served as President until 1999. He worked to improve housing and education for the country's large black population.