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MURRAY, Ky. – The latest speaker in Murray State University’s Presidential Lecture Series is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, world-renowned human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Beginning with his opposition to apartheid in South Africa, Tutu has worked tirelessly to spread peace, justice and democracy, and to end racial divisions throughout the world.
Tutu’s visit to Murray is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, at 7 p.m., in Murray State’s RSEC. The event was moved to the largest building on campus because interest in attending is so high. The Presidential Lecture has been the site for all previous series speakers – Richard Norton Smith, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Benazir Bhutto, Lech Walesa and F.W. deKlerk. This lecture series provides this region’s population with an unusual opportunity to come face-to-face with world leaders. The lecture is free and open to all.
As the issue of apartheid intensified, Tutu became heavily embroiled in the controversy, speaking out against the injustices of the system. For several years he was denied a passport to travel abroad. He became a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa, and received a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to that cause in 1984.
A retired Archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu was granted the honorary title of Archbishop Emeritus in 1996. In recent years, he has turned his attention to a different cause – the campaign against HIV/AIDS. The archbishop has made appearances around the globe to help raise awareness of the disease and its tragic consequences in human lives.
The Presidential Lecture Series is sponsored by the MSU President’s Office, the MSU Foundation and MSU’s Student Government Association. |
