Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island. But that isolation did not diminish his influence. Instead, he reached out to musicians, inspiring and encouraging them to write songs of resistence. Rather than succumb to his fate, he found and encouraged force multipliers who were far beyond his reach - and also beyond the reach of his prison guards.

This CBS conversation between Hugh Masekela and Wynton Marsalis captures the essence.

Marsalis: In 1985, Mandela was still incarcerated. He took the time to write a letter on your birthday.

Masekela: Yeah, he just had this letter smuggled out of prison. …Here's a guy who's been in jail for 20 years, but he's writing to me, giving me encouragement … I just stood there and said, "Wow." And then I went to the piano and I started singing "Bring back Nelson Mandela, bring him back home to Soweto..." And my wife said, "When did you write that song?" "I don't know," I said. "Nelson Mandela just sent it to me."

If you want to learn more, watch the Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. But the bottom line is this: We all live in are own version of Robben Island. Our own prisons of time and circumstance. Mandela taught me us that - even if I may feel isolated - I still have the power to connect, inspire, and amplify my voices through others. Who do you need to reach out to today? Perhaps it will be a hand-written letter, or maybe it's just a text message. Whatever it is - remember. Just like Nelson Mandela on Robben Island. We are no alone. We are never alone.

This post originally appeared as a thread on X