Desmond Tutu

Rakeem H.

 Desmond Tutu was South African Anglican cleric born on October 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp, South Africa. Tutu grew up during apartheid, which gave him many disadvantages. Tutu just made the best of it and was still able to have a good childhood even though he was treated unfairly. When he became older he stated “we knew, yes we were deprived, it wasn’t the same thing for white kids, but it was a full a life as you could make it.”

         

 At the age of seventeen Desmond Tutu became frustrated with the racism that corrupted South Africa, which came from apartheid. He did not become well known until he accepted his appointment as the associate director of the theological education fund of the world council of churches in Kent. That led him to be the first black person to be appointed the Anglican dean. This made him one of the most prominent people in the anti-apartheid movement. Tutu knew that he was in a place that not many people of his color could reach and he was going to use it to give his peoples freedom back.

Later he was appointed bishop of Lesotho. Desmond Tutu then sent a letter to the prime minister that he should rethink racial inequality or there would be consequences. The prime minister ignored his letter. So Tutu continued fighting for equality. This caused him to get a Nobel peace prize for being a person in South Africa who was concerned with human dignity, fraternity and democracy. Tutu’s Nobel peace prize gave a huge push towards the ending of apartheid. When tutu became bishop of Johannesburg it put him over the top. Finally in 1993 Tutu’s dream came true apartheid was over.

I believe that you should research Desmond tutu, If you want to learn more about the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. Since we had already learned who he was I think he would be interesting to learn more about, but from the information that I have found he was a great leader. Who contributed to the movement in so many ways.

"Desmond Tutu biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 19 Dec. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/desmond-tutu-9512516>.