Desmond Tutu: A Brief Summary of What He Achieved

Desmond Tutu: A Brief Summary of What He Achieved



Desmond Tutu: A Brief Summary of What He Achieved

Description of Desmond Tutu and summary of what he achieved

Desmond Tutu has a long list of achievements in his life. In 1975, Tutu became the first black African to serve as dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg, and from 1976 to 1978 he was bishop of Lesotho. In 1978, he became the first black general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, a position which gave him the platform to denounce the inhumane system of racial segregation and discrimination known as apartheid. His efforts on behalf of nonviolent resistance to apartheid led to his selection as the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner (Battle, 1997). In presenting the award to Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize selection committee cited a remarkable incident that speaks to Tutu's unrelenting belief in the power of nonviolence.

Theories

When innocent women and children were killed in a massacre in a suburb of Johannesburg, Tutu stood among the angry victims and demanded that hatred cease and that the victims should be permitted a peaceful path to freedom. In 1986, Desmond Tutu was elected archbishop of Cape Town. He was the first black African to serve in this position, which placed him in the leadership of the Anglican Church in South Africa.

After the fall of apartheid in 1994, Tutu was asked by former South African President Nelson Mandela to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a committee designed to investigate the abuses that took place under apartheid. After 4 years of hearing testimony, the commission concluded that apartheid represented a crime against humanity. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission now serves as a model for communities seeking to heal from injustices stemming from racial, ...