genderequalitygoals: [New post] The Passing of Four Social Inclusion Giants

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The Passing of Four Social Inclusion Giants

by kingsleyjohn

The last 6 weeks of 2021 have been tinged with sadness at the loss of four giants in the struggle for liberation, justice and social inclusion. We dedicate our last post of the year to these four people and encourage readers to take time to reflect on their lives, their work and their legacies.

Desmond Tutu, archbishop, activist and apartheid foe, is dead at 90 — **Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 1931-2021**

In the early hours of December 26th, 90 year old Desmond Mpilo Tutu passed on in Cape Town, South Africa. He was a remarkable man and indefatigable fighter for justice, who was known as the "moral compass" for several decades in the struggle against racism, sexism and apartheid. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and also spoke up consistently against homophobia, Islamophobia, the oppression of Palestinians by the state of Israel, and many other forms of injustice and intolerance all over the world. Tutu was a living embodiment of his own exceptional quote:

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

Numerous tributes have already been written about the Arch, as he was affectionately known by many, and we offer links to a few of them below (please click on the name of the article to access it), several of which also have an audio version embedded:

Archbishop Tutu: A Man of God who liked to laugh - by Thembisa Fakude published in the Mail & Guardian

Always Faith, always Justice: a tribute to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu - by Niclas Kjellström-Matseke and Piyushi Kotecha, published in the Mail & Guardian

Desmond Tutu: South Africa's moral compass - obituary in Al Jazeera

Tributes paid to anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu - quotes & video tributes in DW

Please also read up more about Desmond Tutu's life here through wikipedia and have a look at some more of his many powerful quotes here.

A great believer in Ubuntu, Tutu summed it up by saying, "my humanity is bound up in yours for we can only be human together". The Guardian has also put together a few clips of interviews with Tutu below:

Less than two weeks earlier on December 15th, the legendary African-American author, professor, feminist and social activist bell hooks passed on, aged 69. A prolific writer and thinker, her most famous and a seminal book was Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, where she explored deeply the inter-section between race, gender and class, offering a more inclusive vision for feminism rooted at the heart of the struggles of Black women.

bell hooks — Charlie Rose — **bell hooks, 1952-2021**

Please read a tribute to bell hooks her in Something Curated here and an obituary in the Guardian here, as well as heartfelt and moving tributes from some of her contemporaries here. You can also read more about her from wikipedia here, which also includes a full list of her more than 40 books and other publications.

On December 5th, Alan Donovan, a passionate champion of African arts, culture and heritage, passed on at his home just outside Nairobi in Kenya aged 83. Donovan was a co-founder of African Heritage Estates along with former vice president Joseph Murumbi and his wife Sheila Murumbi, and he also published a book about Murumbi called A Path not Taken, which you can read about here.

Please read Rupi Mangat's tribute here called The Alan Donovan I knew, which was published in the East African. You can also read and see more of Donovan's life in his own words and pictures here in the piece called "My Journey through African Art and Culture". Please also watch a short video clip below of him being laid to rest

Finally, we would also like to pay tribute to Anwar Ditta, an exceptional anti-racist campaigner in UK, who passed on November 16th, and whose story is well captured by Al Jazeera in their piece, Anwar Ditta: The Mother who took on the UK Government and Won. You can read and/or listen to this piece here.

Anwar Ditta: The mother who took on the UK government and won | Race Issues | Al Jazeera — **Anwar Ditta, 1953-2021**

Please read this powerful tribute to Anwar Ditta written by Shahed Ezaydi in the Tribune here. There are also important documents about Ditta in the AIU Race Relations Resource Centre and Education Trust. Please read the piece Reflecting with Anwar Ditta which also has links to more of her archive here, extracts from her and several other oral history interviews here and you can download a short booklet about her struggle here.

It can be overwhelming to comprehend such enormous losses to humanity. It is our hope and prayer that their lives continue to inspire and give rise to a new generation of champions of justice. We close this piece with more important words from Desmond Tutu and wish you all a Happy New Year 2022.