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Human Rights Advocate Naomi Tutu Urges Continued Dialogue on Race and Racism

May 3rd, 2010 - ANJ Online

East metro anti-racism activists honored at The Saint Paul Foundation’s Facing Race event  
 
SAINT PAUL, Minn.– More than 500 members of the metro community listened as Naomi Tutu, international scholar and human rights advocate, addressed the need for an ongoing dialogue about race and racism in her keynote speech at The Saint Paul Foundation’s “Facing Race Ambassador Award Celebration” at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Minnesota. Facing Race is a special initiative of The Saint Paul Foundation that uses discussion tools to provide a greater understanding of race issues and what the community can do to create a more open and equitable society.  

The third child of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Naomi Tutu highlighted her experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa and the ravages of staying silent about race and racism. “Racism will not end simply because we pretend it does not exist,” said Tutu. “In fact, the more we try and hide from it the more insidious it becomes. We can only conquer racism in ourselves and in our communities when we face up to it and challenge it. Having the courage to speak out about racism is the only way to heal our society of its impact." 

The 2010 “Facing Race Ambassador Award” honored Herbert A. Perkins and Margery K. Otto, co-directors of the Antiracism Study-Dialogue Circles (ASDIC). Long before becoming co-directors of the ASDIC, Perkins and Otto each spent many years working to heal American race relations. They met while volunteering on an anti-racism team and today their ASDIC circles provide participants the opportunity to engage in dialogue, build relationships across racial and ethnic barriers and commit to positive change. Since 2006, more than 500 people have participated in the ASDIC circles. 

“We recognize that one or two people alone do not create anti-racism transformation,” said Herbert Perkins, The Facing Race Ambassadors Award co-recipient. “Social change happens through communities of people working together. We accepted the award on behalf of, and in recognition of, the dedicated, inspired work of a whole community of people.” 

“This award is about celebrating the value and necessity of a community-wide dialogue on race,” said Carleen Rhodes, president of The Saint Paul Foundation. “Herb and Margery’s work demonstrates that when individuals are transformed, our communities are transformed. Naomi Tutu’s words reinforced a need for continued dialogue and change at both the individual and community level.” 

Along with the “Facing Race Ambassador Award” recipients, the initiative honored three other Ambassadors for their efforts to advance the dialogue against racism in the East Metro area. They included Dr. Eric J. Jolly, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota; Angelique Kedem, Minnesota coordinator for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI); and Ouida Crozier, coordinator for Diversity and Cultural Competency at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

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NONTOMBI NAOMI TUTU

Race and Gender Activist 

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 as 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 career 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.