South African Cleric And Human Rights Activist, Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Was Born October 7, 1931 In Klerksdorp, Transvaal.
In 1975 He Became The First Black African To Serve As Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral In Johannesburg. From 1976 to 1978 He Was Bishop Of Lesotho. In 1978 He Became The First Black General Secretary Of The South African Council of Churches.
In 1986, Desmond Tutu Was Elected And Ordained Archbishop Of Cape Town. He Was The First Black African To Serve In This Position, Which Placed Him At The Head Of The Anglican Church In South Africa, And As The Archbishop Of Canterbury, Is Spiritual Leader Of The Church of England.
Tutu Rose To Worldwide Fame During the 1980s As An Opponent Of Apartheid In South Africa. In 1984, He Became The Second Black South African To Be Awarded The Nobel Peace Prize. Nelson Mandela Was The First.
In 1997, Tutu Was Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer And Underwent Successful Treatment In The United States. He Subsequently Became Patron Of The South African Prostate Cancer Foundation Which Was Established In 2000.
President Barack Obama Awarded Bishop Tutu America's Highest Civilian Honor, The Presidential Medal Of Freedom, On August 12, 2009.
Tutu Receives Medal Of Freedom - 2009
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
