Desmond Tutu (1931 - 2021)

Wed Oct 07, 1931

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Desmond Tutu, born on this day in 1931, was a South African Anglican cleric, theologian, and human rights activist who campaigned against apartheid. “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”

Tutu was the Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then the Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.

Tutu testified on behalf of a captured cell of Umkhonto we Sizwe, an armed anti-apartheid group linked to the African National Congress (ANC), banned at the time in South Africa. He stated that, although he was committed to non-violence and censured those on all sides who used violence, he could understand why black Africans would become violent when their non-violent tactics had failed to overturn apartheid.

Tutu also signed a petition calling for the release of ANC activist Nelson Mandela, leading to a correspondence between the pair.

“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.”

- Desmond Tutu