Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu (1931–2021) was a South African Anglican cleric and campaigner against apartheid. He served as bishop of Johannesburg and subsequently became the first Black leader of the Anglican Church in southern Africa as archbishop of Cape Town.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, he advocated nonviolent resistance and drew international attention to apartheid. After South Africa’s transition to democracy, he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which heard testimony about human-rights violations and sought to establish a public record of the country’s recent past.