In December 2013, the U.S. Department of State posted a YouTube video of Dr. Maya Angelou delivering a poem entitled His Day is Done — A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela on behalf of the American people.
In the poem, Dr. Angelou recognizes several of Mandela’s life moments including inviting his former prison guards to sit front seat at his presidential inauguration and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
“No sun outlasts its sunset,” the legendary poet reminds us. She goes on to say that it us up to the rest of us to carry on his legacy by “opening the gates wider” for the many still waiting for justice and freedom around the world.
Dr. Angelou ends her poem by thanking Madiba and stating, “We will remember and be glad you lived among us.”
Watch the entire tribute poem below.