Special Events and Programs

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, “Race and Reconciliation in Our Community: A Community-based Contribution to the National Conversation on Race”
Friday, November 13, 7:30 p.m.,
Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington Street

Film Screening and Panel (includes Tutu) Discussion:
Long Night's Journey Into Day
Saturday, November 14, 7:30 p.m.,
Washtenaw Community College Towsley Auditorium, Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, Remarks
Sunday, November 15, 10:00 a.m. Service
First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, 608 E. William Street

President Barack Obama has called for a national conversation on race. This special series of events is Washtenaw County’s initial response to his call. Reflecting the multifaceted nature of our community, the first steps in this critical discussion will bridge town and gown, secular and religious, and geographic and school boundaries. Global citizen Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will help guide this discussion. Her sustained and visible commitment to education, dialogue, reconciliation, and social justice on issues of gender, race, and international relations has made Naomi Tutu a leader in her own right. With her immediate knowledge of the realities of a divisive society and the promise of communities that work to protect and sustain the dignity of all people, Tutu invites us to “be willing to speak and hear the truth because then we will have our just society.” Ms. Tutu is founder and chair (1985-1990) of the Tutu Foundation, which provides scholarships and support to South African refugees in African countries. She is a graduate of Berea College (BA, Economics and French) and the University of Kentucky (MA, International Economic Development); and is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the Universal Orthodox College of Ogun State in Nigeria and Bentley College in Massachusetts. All events, except for the facilitator training session, are free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact Professor Emeritus Willis Patterson at wcp@umich.edu. This University of Michigan event is co-sponsored by the U-M Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, the U-M African Studies Center, Office of the President, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, and Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor.