A voice against apartheid
As General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Tutu became one of the most prominent voices opposing South Africa's apartheid system, using nonviolent activism and moral pressure rather than force, work that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
After apartheid ended, Tutu chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1995 to 1998, a groundbreaking process that let victims and perpetrators speak publicly, built around the idea that healing requires truth and forgiveness, not just punishment.
A lasting teaching on forgiveness
Tutu wrote and spoke widely about forgiveness for the rest of his life, teaching that holding onto anger mainly harms the person holding it, and that letting go is an act of strength. He died in Cape Town in December 2021 at age 90.
