Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born at Klerksdorp, South Africa on October 7, 1931.

He
was born into a world of great injustice. Klerksdorp is about 120 miles from
Johannesburg, the richest city in South Africa. His family, like all other blacks in
South Africa had very little money. They lived in a small shack where there was no
electricity or sanitation.

All black people had to carry passbooks and special identification. This included even
his own father, a respected schoolteacher. The white police would sometimes stop
black people on the street and demand to see papers. Even at a young age Desmond
was upset by this and saw it as very unfair.

As a child Tutu saw that not all whites were cruel. One day he met Father Trevor
Huddleston, a white priest. This man would have a great influence on Desmond's life.
When he was fourteen Desmond caught tuberculosis and almost died. He lay in a
hospital bed among dying men for two years. Every day Father Huddleston came to
talk to him. This inspired Tutu to a lifelong devotion to Christianity.

In 1948 South Africa suffered a terrible disaster. An election was held. White South
African citizens were the only ones allowed to vote. They elected the National Party
to lead the country. This party was openly racist. They called for apartheid which
means literally apart-hood and promised to introduce extreme anti-Black policies.
While the rest of the world was making changes after World War II and the
Holocaust, the South African white population was going in the opposite direction.
The new party wasted no time in enacting new laws that made racial prejudice,
segregation, and oppression the central focus of government policy.

The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the Immorality Act were the first two
new laws. This made marriages of mixed race illegal. Then the Population
Registration Act came into being. This classified every person in the country into
categories of skin color. The categories were white, coloured (the term created for
people regarded as neither White nor Black), Asian, or Native (the word Whites used
for black people.). It became further complicated by coloureds being classified into
seven sub-categories. All African Native Tribes were divided into eight categories by
language. Whites were placed in only one category no matter where they came from.

In 1955 at the age of 24 Desmond Tutu wrote to the Prime Minister about what he
could only call a diabolical policy. AHere in South Africa we tend to think that legal
and morally right mean the same thing. During the first four years of the Act many
heartaches took place as families were literally split apart by the government This was
a transition time for Tutu who became more involved politically. Before this time he
did not act upon his feelings.

During this time Desmond and Leah Tutu were married. Tutu was one of only a few
blacks who were allowed to enter the University. He wanted to become a doctor.
There was no money and so he became a teacher like his father.

In 1955, the South African government introduced the Bantu Education Act. This was
one of the most unjust laws ever enacted. Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, one of the most
sinister apartheid leaders, presented the idea to stop black children from learning such
things as science and math. Blacks were to have deliberately inferior education. He
wanted no more smart, well-educated black people in South Africa. The only job he
thought blacks were suited for was that of a servant to Whites.

Desmond became committed to black education. He turned to faith to solve his

problems. He decided to become a minister and joined a theological college. During
this time many peaceful demonstrations were staged against these terrible
oppressions. This later became a model for the protests in the United States and Dr.
Martin Luther King. Many whites and coloureds also protested the laws.

The peaceful demonstrations turned into bloody massacres and many people of all
races were arrested. On March 21, 1960, five thousand peaceful demonstrators
gathered outside the police station in Sharpville. Without warning the police began
firing on the crowd killing sixty-nine men and women. The world was shocked but
nothing changed in South Africa. Desmond left South Africa to study theology in
London at King's College and to work as an assistant curate. While in London he
found a new world of respect for all people of every color.

While he was away, South Africa became a police state. Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd,
apartheid's sinister leader, had become Prime Minister. The year was 1968. Even
harsher apartheid restrictions were put into place. Blacks were arrested if they used
white's only facilities such as toilets, drinking fountains, beaches, or sports fields.
Blacks had to have special permission to be out of their designated areas. They were
put in prison for any violations.

In 1968 a dreadful tragedy took place. A peaceful demonstration was staged by black
students. A warning was given that if it was not broken up by 2:00 P.M. the students
would face expulsion. The police arrived at 2:00 and began a brutal attack. They tore
into the crowd of students with armored cars, dogs, and tear gas. At gunpoint the
students were forced to collect their belongings and leave. This was a terrible thing
because an education was such a rare opportunity. This was a land where just gaining
the opportunity to get a university education meant long years of sacrifice for all black
students, this was a horrible punishment.

After being a lecturer in Alice for two years, Tutu moved to Lesotho and began
lecturing in Lesotho and Swaziland. The year was 1971. He was very well known by
now in the Anglican Church. He had a chance to visit other impoverished countries.
He gained a great deal of understanding and empathy for humankind all over the
world. This proved to be invaluable in later years.

In 1975 Tutu was elected the Dean of Johannesburg. Being in a very public position,
every speech he made was heard and quoted all over the world. It was during this time
he wrote a very poignant letter to the Prime Minister. He wrote of reconciliation and
racial oppression. He warned that without justice and freedom for blacks , all South
Africans, both Black and White faced a terrible and bloody future. He said that black
people could take only so much and no more, and that people made desperate by
despair, injustice, and oppression will use desperate means. Vorster virtually ignored
the letter. He refused to answer Tutu's arguments and wrote back accusing him of
trying to make propaganda. Tutu's prophecy came true sooner than expected.
By 1979 Tutu called for sanctions against South Africa. He was accused of being a
traitor but he always defended himself saying it was the only way to protest non-
violently. He had become a popular world figure and thus was viewed by the South
African government as dangerous. By now any protester was beaten, arrested, or even
shot.

On October 15, 1984 Desmond Tutu was told he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. It
was given as a sign of support for all individuals and groups in South Africa who,
with their concerns for human dignity, fraternity, and democracy, incited the
admiration of the world. This was a time of great celebration. While the world
rejoiced the South African government did not acknowledge anything. Before the
awards ceremony it was announced that Tutu had been elected Archbishop of
Johannesburg. Half way through the awards ceremony a bomb scare was announced.
The participants went outside while the building was searched. During this time the
crowd began singing We Shall Overcome led by Tutu. No bomb was found. In his
acceptance speech he called for peace, love and brotherhood of all people. This had
become his theme. He had become a powerful leader and his voice could be heard far
and wide. This angered the South African government even more. A new plan was put
forward by Prime Minister Botha. So called Coloureds and Indians would have the
right to vote but not Blacks. The government claimed that Blacks were not even
citizens in their own land. Much protest and violence erupted.

Desmond Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in April of 1986, the highest
position in the South African Anglican Church. The enthronement was even more
glorious than the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. Whites and blacks attended. Many
international dignitaries were invited but the South African government would not
allow all those who were invited to enter the country. Tutu believes, They will be free.
He is convinced this will happen someday. Tutu continues to speak for human rights
of all mankind.

Desmond Tutu is a man of great faith, integrity and honor. He stands for truth and
right. He is truly a champion of all humankind.

References:

Billings, Henry and Stone, Melissa (1991). Great Challenges. Austin, TX: Steck-
Vaughn.

Pollard, Michael (1992). Pioneers in History, People Who Care. Ada, OK: Garrett
Educational Corporation.

Winner, David (1989). People Who Have Helped the World: Desmond Tutu.
Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing.

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-famous/desmond.htm
The name Desmond Tutu resonates strongly with people all around the world. While
his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in his native South Africa first propelled him into
the glare of international news media, today he is revered as a "moral voice" to end
poverty and human rights abuses. While he is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus and
steadfast in his religious beliefs, Tutu places great value on religious inclusiveness
and interfaith dialogue.

Born in Klerksdorp, near Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1931, Tutu initially followed
his father's example and obtained teaching qualifications. However, following the
introduction of Bantu education in 1958, he decided to enter the ministry. He was
ordained in Johannesburg three years later.

Following further theological studies at King’s College in London, Tutu held several
positions in teaching and theological work in southern Africa. In 1978, he was
persuaded to leave his job as Bishop of Lesotho to become the new General Secretary
of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). In this position, which he held
until 1985, Tutu became a national and international figure.

The SACC was committed to fulfilling the social responsibility of the Church, and as
its chairperson, Tutu led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial
conciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was recognized in 1984, when he was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, following a short stint as the Bishop of
Johannesburg, Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, an office he held
until his retirement in 1996.

While many of Tutu's critics predicted that he would enter government, he never did.
Instead, he became a key mediator in the difficult transition toward democracy.

In 1996, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, a body set-up to probe gross human rights violations
during apartheid.

Following the presentation of the Commission’s report to then president Mandela in

October 1998, Tutu has been a visiting professor at Emory University, Atlanta, the
Episcopal Divinity School, Boston and the University of North Florida, Jacksonville.
He has published several books, the latest of which is titled ‘God Has a Dream’. He
has a private office near his home in Milnerton, Cape Town.

http://www.tutufoundation-usa.org/about_desmond_tutu.html