When I learned of Nelson Mandela’s passing yesterday at the age of 95, I can’t say I felt sad. Moved, yes. Reflective, eager to see who will emerge to carry forth his legacy, and grateful, amid the distilled concentration on his life, for the opening left by his now-empty space on earth to better understand the historical backdrop of the anti-Apartheid, Nobel Prize-winning leader’s profound accomplishments.

The books Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, Mandela's Way by Richard Stengel, and Danny Schechter’s recent Madiba A to Z: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela are good places to begin. Stengel's profile of Mandela beautifully captures the leader's humane philosophies, and Schechter’s story, compiled over forty years, accompanies his nonfiction documentary about the making of the just released fictionalized biopic that shares a title with Mandela’s autobiography.

Lately I’ve been bracing for the inevitable death of my Grandpa, also 95, and reflecting on what it means to live a full and generous life with only one certainty: that it will end. Between that ongoing awareness, and knowing, as I processed Mandela’s loss, that on a corner where I once lived in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, his life was being celebrated in a space that embodies the unity for which he fought, I felt a light thrill of hope.

It was nothing like the collective euphoria that erupted when news of Florida’s vote broke in 2008, announcing Obama’s initial presidential campaign victory, and loud cheers broke out from that same corner of DeKalb and Carlton Avenues in and around Il-Shebeen Madiba , the first South African restaurant in the United States when it opened in 1999. Named by South African owner Mark Henegan for the informal dining halls in South African townships (Shebeen) and Mandela's Xhosa clan name (Madiba), the place is overflowing with Mandela-inspired art.

Until late that election night, drivers honked horns, neighbors lit fireworks, and people of all colors sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the top of their lungs while hugging and high-fiving. Like his hero Mandela, Obama was his country’s first elected black president, and Madiba, as the beloved restaurant is known, was the place to be in New York City to celebrate his victory.

It was also the place for the community to gather last night in celebrating and mourning Mandela. Early this morning, Henegan shared some thoughts via e-mail about Mandela’s impact and its relation to his vibrant and eclectic space on that Brooklyn corner. (He and his wife Jenny lived in an apartment below mine across the street from the restaurant several years ago; I babysat their sons Sky and Troy.)

Join us in honoring the man who is hero to so many, including Mark Henegan, whose words are below:

Madiba Restaurant was born fourteen years ago. At her birthplace of 195 DeKalb Ave, the rooftop leaks like a government agency, and the ceiling is cascaded with wires. But Madiba Restaurant is a great place to celebrate life.

Of course, Madiba Restaurant is not the building. Madiba Community is people. Goofy people, fun-loving people, pain-wrecked people, old people, young people. Black, White, Asian, and Latino people. Moneyed people. Not-so-moneyed people. We are people who make stupid choices a lot and stumble into wisdom occasionally.

We are all people who seek to connect with something greater, or mostly we are people who love to love. Some love Jesus, some love Buddha, some love that hottie who sits across the bar each Sunday. We are people who celebrate creation and strive to keep the main thing -- even though none of us have a clue what the main thing is. We are all in this dance together. All moving to one beat one way or another.

How fantastic is it that a business with a social conscious, a broad world-view and heart, is thriving in Brooklyn?

We have been fortunate to serve the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and family members of Nelson Mandela. We have catered events for the United Nations, the South African Consulate, and South African Tourism. Gourmet magazine dubbed us as one of the ten most interesting places in the United States, and Zagat 2009 says that the vibe at Madiba "suits the Age of Obama."

I am overjoyed and couldn't have done it without the community lovingly embracing us with all the laughs and good times we have shared, my staff who turn the wheels night after night, my friends who listen when times are tough, and of course, the forgotten heroes.

We are fourteen years old and growing up.

“Opposing apartheid was a matter of justice. Opposing discrimination against women is a matter of justice. Opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a matter of justice. It is also a matter of love. Every human being is precious…We all must be allowed to love each other with honor,” [Archbishop] Desmond Tutu has said.

If there is one person with the power to bind people, that’s Madiba. Nelson Mandela brought South Africa from the dark, conservative days of Apartheid to what might be the most influential democracy in the world. He will live on forever.

Mr. Mandela, thank you for teaching me forgiveness and grace.

My heart is with you always, and just to let you know, your dreams have come alive in the heart of Brooklyn. Your spirit of unity, diversity, and love will always be with us forever. You would be proud. We hold your name up high. You have changed my life and a community, and we are forever in debt to you.

We love you, Tata.

Mark Henegan
Madiba Restaurant, Brooklyn, NY
December 6, 2013

Editor's Note: For insight into the character and intelligence of Nelson Mandela, continue on to the next page for an excerpt from Richard Stengel's Mandela's Way: Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage.