Desmond Tutu The Most Influential Peacemakers Of The...

â€Å"You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.† This quote was meant to convey the message that people should always be grateful for their families, as they are perhaps one of the greatest gifts given to an individual by God. Desmond Tutu is, and has been, one of the most influential peacemakers of the past century. However, his life had humble beginnings. Tutu was born in the small city of Klerksdorp, Transvaal, into a poor family with one other child (Desmond Tutu - Biographical 1). Even though he was born into a poor family and had only one sibling, he still had a fairly happy childhood. While Desmond Tutu was growing up, he noticed a lot of things that Black Africans were fighting for. Some of those†¦show more content†¦So, he decided on a teaching career. Luckily, Tutu got a scholarship to become a teacher (The Famous People1). He left his high school soon after he received the scholarship to follow in his father s footsteps (Desmond Tutu - Biographical1 ). While working, he got his masters degree, and became a teacher. After being a teacher for 5 years, he woke up to the harsh reality of racism and segregation. Desmond was reminded of these things every day by his own students never even getting over the color of his skin. The students were constantly saying, We have a black teacher, and the new students first question was always, Do you think he s smart enough to teach us (The Famous People 1). Desmond Tutu was a famous spokesman for black people’s rights as the Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral. He became the Bishop of Lesotho in 1976. Two years later, he became the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He was an outspoken activist, and wrote long papers to fight against apartheid. In the year of 1983, a new constitution was brought up for South Africa to defend against the growing apartheid movement. Tutu played a very crucial role in the formation of the N.F.C to fight the changes. He won the Nobel peace prize in 1984, due to his emergence as an outspoken leader in the anti-apartheid movement. He was appointed as the Bishop of Johannesburg, and was chosen to be the archbishop of Cape Town the year after. He