Obama has said he considers Mandela one of -- if not the -- greatest influence in his life . In ` ` Portrait of my Father , '' Obama is pleading with college students to divest from South Africa . Obama met Mandela for the first time in 2005 . With him gravely ill , Obama did not get to visit him during his last trip to South Africa .
Obama has said he considers Mandela one of -- if not the -- greatest influence in his life . In `` Dreams of my Father , '' Obama recalls pleading with college trustees to divest from South Africa . Obama met Mandela for the first time in 2005 . With Mandela gravely ill , Obama did not get to visit him during his last trip to South Africa .