In December 1999, Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel visited Seattle a few months after Mandela left office as president of South Africa. Their visit was intended to raise money for their charitable organizations. In addition to meeting with prominent philanthropists, Mandela and Machel addressed students at Seattle University, spoke at a world health conference at the University of Washington, attended a concert at Benaroya Hall (part of which Mandela conducted), and visited the Central Area and Madrona Elementary School to meet members of the community. They also thanked anti-apartheid activists in Seattle for their support and recognized Seattle for being one of the first US cities to boycott South African products in protest.

In this image, Dustin Williams, a descendant of Suquamish and Duwamish chief Si’ahl (Chief Seattle), holds a traditional Talking Stick, designed for the occasion by Charles Elliott, a Coast Salish artist from the T’sartlip First Nation. Dustin presented the Talking Stick to Mandela as he arrived at Boeing Field for a welcoming ceremony.

Caption information source: “South African leaders Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel arrive in Seattle on December 8, 1999,” by Walt Crowley, HistoryLink, retrieved from https://www.historylink.org/File/3052.
Caption information source: "Lessons of Mandela are different for today's students," by Rebekah Denn, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 9, 1999, page A12.
Caption information source: Note by photographer Grant Haller on caption sheet included with negatives.