1. An Activist, an Archbishop, and an African Icon. These are just three ways of describing Desmond Tutu. A hero, a man who stood up against the crowd, an upstander. Who changed his nation forever, who helped form a new, free, equal society. Who stood united against racism, and fought for his black brethren. And was known as a kind man and beautiful overall human. An amazing, model human being.   

  

2. First of all, I want to credit some of the sources that were immensely helpful during this writing process. The initial website that I searched was Wikipedia. Sure, it may have a bad reputation, but it was very informative, and after cross-checking with other sources, it proved reliable. It was teeming with specific things that other websites didn't mention, like some of his influences to become an Archbishop. Subsequently, I looked at Biography.com, an online website that goes into minute detail, about his life. Finally, Britannica. An easy-to-access, clean and well-made website, and it is always extremely reliable with its information. They seem to know anything and everything about anyone and everyone.

  

3. Secondly, a quick reflection. Researching this Notable has been quite difficult. I did not have a massively well-known notable, like N Mandela, A. Lincoln or M.L. King, so I had to scour the internet. And he was mostly in the shadow of Mandela during his time, so he got for very little recognition for his efforts and exemplary work. Desmond Tutu is most well-known for his being the first ever Black South African Archbishop, and his peacemaking efforts during apartheid. However, he was, I have now learned, so much more than that, but that information was hard to find, as he is not the most famous of people. So finding those little nuggets of interesting information was a challenge.. But I have researched for hours upon hours, so here is my answer to the Big Question.  

  

4. Desmond Tutu had a very tough and unfortunate upbringing. He grew up in an impoverished neighbourhood, but he made the most of his chances, achieving great grades and getting into a good college. Obviously, he had to also deal with racial abuse. Whether it be name-calling, mocking, and other verbal abuse, etc. This would have taken a toll on his mind, self-esteem and overall life quality. He also was quite small, so he would have been constantly teased for that. All of these not only hinder his life quality, but actually hinder his job opportunities, and other openings to help himself. However, this constant adversity never got him down, and he was able to succeed in his life, whether it be success of protests, or his reaching the highest rank in the South African clergy, Archbishop, in Cape Town, making him the first ever Black South African Archbishop. However, beyond childhood, into his adult years, things would get much worse. He was not only lambasted by Government leaders, but lots of the media, which further grew the uproar and discontent between Tutu and the white minority. He received hate mail constantly, and on the rare occasion death threats. His role was very controversial, and we've seen what happens to people who oppose some government leaders. Take the case of Alexei Nevelney, who was poisoned for speaking out against Putin's government and leadership. He was almost killed.  

  

5. Now, onto his impact. Desmond Tutu was a leader and organizer of most of the anti-apartheid protests. He led peaceful marches against racism, and even went over the government's head to make some. He also played a vital role in peacemaking during riots and non-peaceful protests, and helping unite all black factions to stand for on cause. As well as this, he would fight for and represent Black anti-apartheid groups, for example Umkhonto we Sizwe, an armed anti-Apartheid group organized by Mandela, whose sole purpose was to fight with the ANC, against Apartheid. He also campaigned for the release of Nelson Mandela after his arrest, which helped them meet each other, and form a strong rapport which helped organizing protests.  

  

5 (continued). He also was a Bishop in Johannesburg and Lesotho, and, as I have said previously, the first ever Black South African Archbishop in Cape Town. He lived and breathed the Church, and brought vivacity to every sermon. He would spread messages of hope and positivity every Sunday, and changed the lives of millions every week, and then an entire country later on. His impact wasn't only in the nation, however. He travelled across Europe, meeting with Ministers and leaders of prominent EU forces, including England and Italy. He also formed a good relationship with many US leaders, including Jimmy Carter. He was often compared to MLK by US citizens, which resonated with them, and so earned Tutu their respect. By this point he was regarded as a South African Icon, and for his work, he was honoured with the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.  

  

6. I have talked about him as a leader and activist, but not about his personality. What was he like to be around?, Was he kind and cordial, or rude and abrasive. Well, he absolutely the former. Desmond Tutu was regarded as a warm, exuberant and outgoing person, as well as being described by De Boulay, an English historian, as having the 'ability to endear himself to virtually everyone who actually meets him'. She also said that he was as a child unusually intelligent, and having a gentle and caring temperament. He also not only lively in sermon, but kept in contact with all his parishioners, taking the effort to remember birthdays and anniversaries and making an effort to regularly visit them individually.He wasn't all sunshine and roses. He was always kind and rarely lost his cool or showed anger or hatred, but he was accused of irresponsibility and extravagance, which was justified. He often had trouble keeping budget and constantly overspent. Though his positives far outweigh the negatives, and he is an overall great person and someone I would love to meet.  

  

7. Now to my personal connection. Apartheid only ended in 1994. My parents grew up in South Africa, and they were 19 and 20 when Apartheid finally ended. They had to suffer through all of Junior School And High School, and were unfairly disadvantaged during the most crucial parts of their life. It is a miracle and an amazing feat that they have been so successful, with such an against-the-odds situation. Ad it isn't like Apartheid's end was the end of racial discrimination. For 40 years, my parents have been in a mostly racially divided country, where they were treated poorly, unfairly so. If it weren't for leaders like Tutu, however, their situation would've been much worse. Apartheid would be still going strong, making life misery for 10s of millions of people. He changed my parents life, my family's life, and subsequently my life, and I am so thankful for him.  

  

8. In conclusion, Tutu is notable for many reasons. He was an activist who changed the history of South Africa, he was a leader of the church system for almost half a century, and grew our rapport with many international powerhouses. He was a great person, and a great leader, and changed everyone he met for the better. He was a kind, determined, benevolent and unconfrontational person, and I strive to be like him. He fought for the rights of minority groups like the LGBTQ community, and no one who met him could say a bad word about him. If it weren't for him. My whole family would be in a terrible place stuck in a country that was divided and full of hatred and unrest. But he wouldn't let that happen. He is the absolute embodiment of being not an bystander, but an upstander.