Atlantans have been leaving flowers and pausing to remember Nelson Mandela at a sculpture in Piedmont Park dedicated to the South African human rights leader and president. The monument is just off 10th Street near the Charles Allen Drive gate. “Free Nelson Mandela” was created by artist David Hammons in 1987 while Mandela was still in jail for his anti-apartheid activism.
Th sculpture, originally located in Woodruff Park, features a set of iron jail bars and door topped by barbed wire. The sculpture sits atop a rock base with the words “Free Nelson Mandela” carved into the stone.
Our affiliate CBS Atlanta reports that a steady stream of people have visited the monument, including Mona and Hemant Patel, who were born in South Africa and were living there during apartheid.
“Like Rosa Parks, we were not able to ride on the bus with white people. We were mistreated,” said Mona Patel. “The first time I ever was voted in my life was for Nelson Mandela. He was a great man.”
To read the full story, visit CBS Atlanta.
