President Barack Obama was among the
scores of world leaders attending a memorial service Tuesday in South
Africa honoring the life of Nelson Mandela, who is widely credited
with ending apartheid.
The 95-year-old Mandela died last week
at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa following a long illness.
Obama made a veiled reference to gay
rights in addressing the tens of thousands who braved the rain to say
farewell to South Africa's “greatest son.”
“The struggles that follow the
victory of formal equality or universal franchise may not be as
filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but
they are no less important,” Obama said. “For around the world
today, we still see children suffering from hunger and disease. We
still see run-down schools. We still see young people without
prospects for the future. Around the world today, men and women are
still imprisoned for their political beliefs, and are still
persecuted for what they look like, and how they worship, and who
they love. That is happening today.” (The video is embedded on
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Mandela is survived by his second wife,
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, three daughters, 17 grandchildren and 13
great-grandchildren.