Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu

Central Oregon Community College will open its 17th annual Season of Nonviolence with a keynote speech by Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu on Jan. 27, at the Tower Theatre in Bend.

The event, “Belonging, Justice, and Our Shared Humanity,” begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free to the public.

Tutu, a human rights activist and daughter of the late South African anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will discuss fostering acceptance and recognizing the potential in others as the foundation of a just society. Her experiences growing up Black and female under apartheid in South Africa have been the underpinning of her activism, according to a release from COCC.

Before becoming an Episcopal priest, Tutu worked at the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town, and as an instructor at several U.S. universities.

COCC’s Season of Nonviolence, inspired by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., runs from mid-January through early April. A full schedule of events will be announced in January.

The series is organized by COCC’s office of diversity and inclusion and the COCC Foundation’s Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series. 

To register for Tutu’s keynote and learn about upcoming events, visit cocc.edu/snv.