The Tripod

Issue date: 2/22/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Noa Landes Tutu spoke in honor of Black and Women´s History Months.

In an attempt to bring a diverse body of students together to work on a common project, numerous campus organizations pooled their resources, financial and otherwise, to bring Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to speak on gender equality in regards to truth and reconciliation this past Thursday in the Washington Room. Over the last few years the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Trinity College Black Women's Organization, the Women's Center and other groups have collaborated to bring various speakers to the Trinity campus in honor of Black and Women's History months.

In the past, notable individuals, including Elaine Brown, head of the Black Panther Party, and Patricia Williams, author and columnist for liberal publication The Nation, among others, have been asked to speak on significant issues in the Trinity community. Tutu was one of a few people these organizations had in mind to participate this year, particularly because she continues to speak about the situation in South Africa where she believes there is still much to do to eliminate a long legacy of racial oppression.

Born in Krugersdorp, South Africa, Tutu graduated from Berea College in Kentucky with a B.A. in French and economics. After graduating, Tutu served as a consultant for a private firm and also did consulting work for South Africa, researching both educational and professional opportunities for black women. She then went on to teach courses on development, gender, and education in Africa at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and Brevard College.

Tutu is the founder of the Tutu Foundation for Development and Relief in Southern Africa, which was established with the intent of not only preparing refugees for constructive roles in freeing South Africa but also providing them economic aid and the skills to be self-dependent.

Thursday night's presentation was not simply an introduction of Tutu's efforts in South Africa; it was a plea to thoroughly examine the immediate surrounding community. The lecture was a unique combination of two presentations she has used in the past: Building Gender Alliances Across Racial Lines in South Africa, and Truth and Reconciliation.

One point, applicable to all, was that one's history cannot be separated into the good and the bad. The fundamental building block of any just society is claiming all of its parts and accepting the truth. "If we don't claim them, they claim us ... and endanger our future." She continued to say that history has brought us to where we are today. South Africa, for example, cannot include Nelson Mandela as part of its history without including those who committed rape, torture, and other considerable crimes.

Continued...

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