Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies

Desmond Tutu, who helped to end apartheid in South Africa, died Sunday at the age of 90. The clergyman used his pulpit as the first black bishop of Johannesburg and later the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town to galvanize public opinion behind racial equality. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts.

How did he contribute to the end of apartheid? Tutu worked nonviolently to tear down South Africa’s decadeslong regime of oppression against its black majority. When Nelson Mandela became president in 1994, he appointed Tutu chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that uncovered the abuses of the apartheid system. Tutu is survived by his wife of 66 years and their four children.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel Suhr’s recent WORLD Opinions column about the history of apartheid in South Africa.