informed me that Nelson Mandela. the South African civil rights icon that won 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. is not eligible for a visa to enter the U.S. because he is a member of the African National Congress. I was stunned. How could one of the giants of the 20th Century who is revered for bringing peace and reconciliation to a country that was torn apart by racism be ineligible to receive a standard visa to visit the United States? I quickly learned that the ANC. which was established in 1923 to advocate for the rights of black South Africans against the brutal Apartheid regime. was designated a "terrorist organization" by the same government that subjected black South Africans to racial segregation and violence. For decades.