The Ticker Tape Parade in honor of Nelson Mandela was an event of historical significance for New York City. It was held on Wednesday, June 20th, 1990, in the so-called "Canyon of Heroes" along the southern part of Broadway from Battery Park to City Hall. It was an important date not only for New Yorkers, but primarily for the whole black community in the U.S. The parade was held by invitation of David N. Dinkins, the first Afro-American mayor in New York history, for the black civil rights activist and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, shortly after he was released from prison after 27 years.