Item 0723 - Citation from North Carolina Central University

Cream coloured certificate housed in maroon folder with "North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina" engraved in gold on the cover. Inside cover is lined with gray fabric. Certificate includes the university seal, in maroon, on the upper left corner of the certificate. Cerficate text is in black and reads:
Citation
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Hero, Leader, Humanitarian.
After 27 years of imprisonment for the cause of the South African people, you have returned to public life still committed to justice and equality for all of the people in your land. You have set an example of devotion and faithfulness which can inspire the sons and daughters of a human race now torn by divisiveness and bitter enmity.
Your visit to the United States of America calls each of us to reconsider our own dedication to the cause of human rights. You come seeking the support of a nation which itself suffers from the wounds of thoughtlessness, from the poison of greed, and from the crippling diseases of racial, ethnic, and religious intolerance.
By your determination to remain free of hatred and bitterness, you bring all of the world a reminder of the best that is possible for humankind. On behalf of North Carolina Central University, a university rooted in the bright dreams of freedom and opportunity, it is my great privilege to express to you our gratitude for your exemplary leadership.
It is a distinct honor for North Carolina Central University to share in this occasion, as you stand before this assemblage representing the historically Black Colleges and universities of the United States of America, and it is a genuine pleasure to extend to you and through you to the people of South Africa our assurance of friendship and of our deep sense of kinship with you and your cause.
This the 27th day of June, 1990.
Signed by: Tyronza R. Richmond (Chancellor)
Taken out of folder for preservatoin