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The challenges of growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa
has led Naomi Tutu to her present role as an activist for human
rights. Her experiences have taught her how much we all lose when
any of us is judged purely on physical attributes.
The third child of Archbishop Desmond and Nomalizo Leah Tutu, she was
born in South Africa and has also lived in Lesotho, the United
Kingdom and the United States. She was educated in Swaziland, the US
and England, and has divided her adult life between South Africa and
the US. Growing up the “daughter of …” has offered her many
opportunities and challenges in her life. Most important of these
has been the challenge to find her own place in the world. She has
taken up the challenge and channeled the opportunities that she has
been given to raise her voice as a champion for the dignity of all.
Tutu has served as a development consultant in West Africa and a
program coordinator for programs on Race and Gender and Gender-Based
Violence in Education at the African Gender Institute at the
University of Cape Town. She has also taught at the Universities of
Hartford and Connecticut and Brevard College.
Tutu began her public speaking as a college student at Berea College
in Kentucky in the 1970s when she was invited to speak at churches,
community groups and colleges and universities about her experiences
growing up in apartheid South Africa. Since that time she has become
a much sought after speaker for groups as varied as business
associations, professional conferences, elected officials and church
and civic organizations. In her speeches she blends the passion for
human dignity with humor and personal stories.
She has also led Truth and Reconciliation Workshops for groups
dealing with different types of conflict. Together with Rose Bator
she presents a workshop titled “Building Bridges: Dealing with
Issues of Race and Racism.” The two also lead women’s retreats
through their organization - Sister Sojourner. They are also writing a
book, I Don’t Think of You as Black: Honest Conversations on Race
and Racism.
Tutu is a consultant to two organizations which reflect the breadth
of her involvement in issues of human rights, including the
Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence, founded by renowned
author Riane Eisler and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Betty Williams,
and the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Topics:
 | Building Gender Coalitions Across Racial Lines |
| Striving for Justice: Searching for Common Ground |
| Truth and Reconciliation: Healing the Wounds of Racism |
| Us and Them: How We Construct the 'Other' |
| A Woman's Spiritual Place in the World
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