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| CONSCIOUSLY SPEAKING |
| Dr. John Hope Franklin And Archbishop Desmond Tutu To Be Honored |
| On Thursday, May 31, 2001, the Joint Center for Political and Economic
Studies will honor historian John Hope Franklin, a Presidential Medal of
Freedom recipient, and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace
Prize winner, for their unceasing commitment to racial reconciliation and
justice.
A mere sketch of the lifelong work of these two elders should provide a real
jolt for those of us who have become victims of inertia. |
| DR. JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN |
 Courtesy Photo |
| Dr. Franklin is James B. Duke Professor of History Emeritus and for seven
years was Professor of Legal History at Duke University's Law School. The
Oklahoma native is a graduate of Fisk University, receiving his M.A. and
Ph.D. degrees in history from Harvard University in 1935 and 1941
respectively. Professor Franklin has taught at several institutions including
Fisk, North Carolina Central, and Howard Universities as well as St.
Augustine's College in North Carolina.
Perhaps best known for his study, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of
African-Americans, now in its eighth edition, but he has created a literary
legacy documenting our story. Some other works include: The Militant South,
1800-1860 (1956), Reconstruction After the Civil War (1962), The Emancipation
Proclamation (1963), A Southern Odyssey: Travelers in the Antebellum North
(1976), Racial Equality in America (1976), George Washington Williams: A
Biography (1985), Race and History: Selected Essays 1938-1988 (1990), The
Color Line: Legacy for the 21st Century (1993) and, Runaway Slaves: Rebels on
the Plantation (1999). Professor Franklin is currently writing his
autobiography, "The Vintage Years."
John Hope Franklin has served on a variety of commissions and boards
including serving as Chairman of the Advisory Board to the President's
Initiative on Race (1997-99). He has been the recipient of numerous awards
and over 126 honorary degrees. In February Duke University celebrated the
opening of the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and
International Studies. The newly renovated facility will seek to promote
"innovative approaches to research and teaching on race, equality, and other
fundamental issues of social life and human understanding." |
| BISHOP DESMOND TUTU |
 Courtesy Photo |
| Archbishop Desmond Tutu is archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Cape Town in
South Africa and until recently was the Robert W. Woodruff Visiting Professor
of Theology at Emory University in Georgia. He is the recipient of many
honors and degrees throughout the world, including the 1984 Nobel Peace
Prize. He chaired his nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was
president of the All Africa Conference of Churches for 10 years.
Archbishop Tutu was born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal. His father was a
teacher, and he himself was educated at Johannesburg Bantu High School. After
leaving school he trained first as a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal College
and in 1954 he graduated from the University of South Africa. After three
years as a high school teacher he began to study theology, being ordained as
a priest in 1960. The years 1962-66 were devoted to further theological study
in England leading up to a Master of Theology. From 1967 to 1972 he taught
theology in South Africa before returning to England for three years as the
assistant director of a theological institute in London. In 1975 he was
appointed Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg, the first black to
hold that position. From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho, and in 1978
became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of
Churches.
Archbishop Tutu's publications include: Crying in the Wilderness, Hope and
Suffering: Sermons and Speeches, The Rainbow People of God, The Essential
Desmond Tutu, and most recently, No Future Without Forgiveness.
Dr. Franklin and Bishop Tutu will be honored at the Joint Center's annual
dinner to be held at The Hilton Washington & Towers (1919 Connecticut Avenue,
NW, Washington, D.C.). The reception begins at 6 p.m. in the International
Terrace with dinner to follow at 7:15 in the International Ballroom. The
evening's keynote speaker will be the Honorable William Winter, former
governor of Mississippi. For more information about the annual affair call
202-789-6366. |
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