The Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramids; these are some of the most recognizable cultural icons in the world today. A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, image, name, face, person, building, or other image that is easily recognizable and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a large cultural group (Wikipedia). Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are examples of individuals who are important cultural icons to many Americans. Another person considered a cultural icon is Nelson Mandela; an individual who took a stand against apartheid in South Africa and made great strides towards racial equality in that part of the world. Mandela is considered a cultural icon because he gained widespread recognition for his achievements with racial equality, founded a global organization researching possible cures for AIDS, and July 18 was designated as International Mandela Day. In 1908, South Africa's white minority group gained independence from Great Britain and established a government in which they controlled the majority of the non-white population (nobelprize.org). Nelson Mandela was born on lands that the white government awarded to black citizens in 1913. At the end of Mandela's first year of college at the University of Fort Hare, he was involved in a Student Representative Council (SRC) boycott against university policies and was told to leave the university and not return until he accepted election to the SRC (Wikipedia). Mandela left without finishing his degree. This action against the school is thought to have been the beginning of his fight against apartheid. In 1943, while studying law at the University of......middle of paper......bus.un.org/discrim/race_b_at_print.asp>."Briefing: Nelson Mandela International Day 2011." Nelson Mandela Day. Np, nd Web. 30 September 2011. "Nelson Mandela - Biography". Nobelprize.org. Np, nd Web. 30 September 2011. "Nelson Mandela - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Np, nd Web. 30 September 2011. "Nelson Mandela and Apartheid." South Africa. Np, nd Web. 30 September 2011. "Nelson Mandela Hero Files." Plus: Heroes and Assassins of the 20th Century. Np, 2 January 2001. Web. 30 September. 2011. .