Nontombi Naomi Tutu
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. Those experiences taught her how much we all lose when any of us is judged purely on physical attributes. In her speeches she blends the passion for human dignity with humor and personal stories.
Ms. Tutu is 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 U.S. and England, and has divided her adult life between South Africa and the U.S. Growing up the 'daughter of …' has offered Naomi Tutu 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 this challenge and channels the opportunities that she has been given to raise her voice as a champion for the dignity of all.
Her professional experience ranges from a development consultant in West Africa, to 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. In addition, Ms. Tutu has taught at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and Brevard College in North Carolina.
She started her public speaking as a college student at Berea College in Kentucky in the 1970’s. She was invited to speak at churches, community groups, colleges and universities about her experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa. Since that time, she has become a much sought after speaker to groups such as business associations, professional conferences, elected officials, and church and civic organizations. Ms. Tutu has also led Truth and Reconciliation Workshops for groups dealing with different types of conflict. She and Rose Bator present a workshop titled Building Bridges dealing with issues of race and racism. The two also lead women’s retreats through their organization Sister Sojourner. In addition, they are writing a book provisionally titled I Don’t Think of You as Black: Honest Conversations on Race and Racism.
In addition to public speaking, Ms. Tutu is a consultant to two organizations that reflect the breadth of her involvement in human rights issues. The organizations are the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV), founded by renowned author Riane Eisler and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Betty Williams, and the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA).
Ms. Tutu is a single mother of two children and currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
