Desmond+Tutu


 * Desmond Tutu**

Born on October 7, 1931, Desmond Tutu is a South African social rights activist and also a retired Anglican bishop. Tutu rose to fame in the 1980s as an opponent of Apartheid. He is a generous man who campaigned to fight many things. His biggest role in South Africa is being a social rights activist. He drew national and international attention to the inequalities of apartheid. He received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts. When Desmond was growing up, the government was controlled by Apartheid. Then, in 1948, the National Party won the election, reinforcing the laws Apartheid had before. In 1953, the government passed the Bantu Education Act, which called for black South African students to only learn what was necessary for a life of servitude. The government paid only 1/10 of what they were paying for white education for black students. Eventually, Desmond Tutu got fed up with the racism of the government and decided to do something about it. He became the first black Anglican Dean of Johannesburg. Before he knew it, he was in a position of authority where he could speak out about Apartheid. That's just what he did. Once he was named Bishop of Lesotho in 1976, he wrote a letter to the South African Prime Minister. This letter warned the prime minister that if he didn't change the racial stance quickly, there would be bad consequences. His letter was ignored, and shortly after he was elected as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. In 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A year later, he was elected Bishop of Johannesburg. Then, a year after that, he became the first black person to hold the highest position in the Anglican church when he became the Archbishop of Cape Town.

Since the fall of Apartheid, Tutu's has continued to be active in defense of human rights and uses his fame to help people all over the world. He has worked to fight [|HIV/AIDS], poverty, racism, sexism, and [|homophobia]. Besides the [|Nobel Peace Prize] in 1984, Tutu has also been honored with the [|Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism] in 1986; the [|Pacem in Terris Award] in 1987; the [|Sydney Peace Prize] in 1999; the [|Gandhi Peace Prize] in 2007; and the [|Presidential Medal of Freedom] in 2009.