Cameron University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday observance to feature the Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu

The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be guest speaker at the 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Jan. 15, 2024.

The Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu will explore the imperatives envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (such as freedom, equality, justice and love) during the event. During her keynote address, Tutu will present “MLK — The Imperative for Us” during a banquet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn of Lawton.

Prior to the keynote address, Tutu will participate in question-and-answer session at 2:30 p.m. in the Mary Lou and W. Carey Johnson Auditorium, located in Ross Hall on the Cameron campus. This event is open to the public at no charge.

The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Naomi Tutu struggled to find her own place in the world. The challenges of growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa have been the foundation of her life as an activist for human rights, according to a press release.

Tutu’s professional experience ranges from being an economist and development consultant in West Africa to being 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 served as program coordinator for the historic Race Relations Institute at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and was a part of the Institute’s delegation to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.

Born in South Africa, Tutu had the opportunity to live in many communities and countries. She was educated in Swaziland, the U.S. and England, and has divided her adult life between South Africa and the U.S. As the daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, she experienced many opportunities and challenges in her life. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges she has struggled with is the call to ministry. Tutu knew from early in life that the one thing she would never be is a priest. She has always said, “I have my father’s nose. I do not want his job.” However, after years spent as a development consultant, educator and race and gender activist, she accepted her call to ordained ministry. She resides in Atlanta where she is a priest associate at All Saints’ Episcopal.

As well as speaking and preaching, Tutu has established Nozizwe Consulting, aimed at bringing different groups together to learn from and celebrate their differences and acknowledge their shared humanity. As part of this work, she has led Truth and Reconciliation Workshops for groups dealing with different types of conflict.