March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of all women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

To celebrate IWD and all it stands for, the Colorado State University Office of International Programs will host Reverend Naomi Tutu during a free public event at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, in Lory Student Center Ballroom D.

The race and gender activist is the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who delivered a speech at CSU nearly 20 years ago. 

Naomi Tutu has used her experiences and challenges of growing up Black and female in apartheid South Africa as the foundation for her dedication to human rights activism.

She said that those experiences taught her that humanity loses when society accepts situations of oppression, and how the teaching and preaching of hate and division injure everyone.  

Growing up as the daughter of Desmond Tutu has offered Naomi Tutu many opportunities and challenges in her life. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges she has struggled with is the call to ministry – which she finally responded to when she was in her 50s and went to seminary.

Her professional experience ranges from being a development consultant in West Africa to being program coordinator for programs on race and gender and gender-based violence in education at the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town.

In addition, Naomi Tutu has taught at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and Brevard College in North Carolina. She served as program coordinator for the historic Race Relations Institute at Fisk University and was a part of the Institute’s delegation to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban.

Naomi Tutu spoke to the CSU campus virtually in March 2021, and her appearance this year will also have a virtual option at  youtube.com/watch?v=0WJk611RQno.