The man who brought an end to apartheid in South Africa turned 90 today.

Nelson Mandela celebrates his birthday with his grandchildren.
(Source: NYTimes)

Nelson Mandela will always hold a special place in history for what he did for his country and his people in terms of civil rights.

He leaves a legacy that subsequent leaders are finding hard to continue as the shoes of the man who spent 27 years in prison are proving too big to fill.

Yet, there is hope. Because of Mandela's success in getting more blacks to move out of poverty and illiteracy by empowering them to dream, more and more are aspiring to do more, be more and have more.

As Mandela proved, it takes a leader to make real change happen.