My dear friends 20 years ago today it was a sunny and cool morning in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It was also a historical day. The first all-race election was being held. Thanks to the African National Congress, I was invited to vote in the election despite the fact that I was not a citizen of South Africa. A captain in the South African Army came to my door. He told me that he had been instructed to take me to the polls so that I could vote. We rode to the polling place in his 3-series BMW. There were armed soldiers all over the place. But things were mellow and calm. I felt no fear at all. The ballots all had pictures of the candidates because so many people could not read and write. I cast my ballot and was driven back home. In the evening I watched the election returns. Nelson Mandela won. The party afterwards throughout South Africa was incredible! My most unforgettable moment was a television interview that I saw. An African woman was being interviewed. She made the following comment:
"Now we will no longer be treated like children."
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Nelson Mandela and his right-hand woman Barbara Joyce Masekela for making it possible for me to participate in this incredible moment in history.
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