UNC Asheville to Host Talk by Nontombi Naomi Tutu;
Daughter of South African Archbishop to Discuss "Healing the Wounds of Racism"

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, an award-winning international human relations scholar, will be the keynote speaker of UNC Asheville’s Black History Month celebration. She will discuss “Healing the Wounds of Racism” at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Born in South Africa during apartheid, Nontombi Naomi Tutu is an internationally recognized speaker and consultant on gender, race and international relations. The third daughter of Desmond and Nomalizo Tutu, she founded and chaired the Tutu Foundation, which provided scholarships and support to South African refugees in African countries.

Tutu holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and French from Berea College in Kentucky and a master’s degree in international economic development from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. She has taught courses on development, gender and education in Africa at many universities, including Brevard College in Transylvania County. Currently, Tutu serves as associate director of the Office of International Programs at Tennessee State University.

Tutu holds awards and honors from a variety of organizations, including the California Legislature, Kentucky branches of the NAACP, Boston City Council and Outstanding Youth Women of America.

The event is sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Multicultural Student Programs and Black Student Association. For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Multicultural Student Programs at 828/232-5145.

Media Contacts:

• Deirdre Wiggins, UNC Asheville Multicultural Organizations and Events Assistant Director, 828/232-5110
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526