Nelson Mandela
Obama Presidential Center Honoree
Space Name: Nelson Mandela Sky Room | Museum | Level 8
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid, South Africa’s system of racial segregation. After his release, he chose reconciliation over revenge and helped lead his country toward democracy. Mandela showed that true leadership means listening, sacrifice, and courage under pressure. His life teaches that lasting change takes patience, moral clarity, and a willingness to see opponents as partners in building a more equal and humane society.
Legacy on Campus
Sky Room
The Sky Room is an awe-inspiring space at the top of the Museum Building. Take in panoramic views of Chicago’s South Side, framed by 5-foot-high words drawn from President Obama’s speech commemorating the anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery Civil Rights marches. .
Obama Presidential Center, Chicago Public Library Branch
Explore our collection of physical books, e-books, audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers, all available for you to read, borrow, and enjoy. Enter into the Library and find autobiographies by world leaders such as Nelson Mandela.
Meet More Honorees
Through the honoree naming initiative at the Obama Presidential Center, we are partnering with our donors to celebrate a part of the history in which the Obama story is so deeply rooted by associating a named space with a hero, moment, or person "on whose shoulders we stand"—an honoree who made the Obamas’ story possible.
Meet More Honorees