Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu speaks at AIC

It was a day that won't be forgotten any time soon, as American International College hosted Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa for the kick off of the Desmond Tutu Public Health Awareness Series. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist urged students to keep up the fight against world injustices, as he spoke to more than 1,200 high school and college students in the Butova Gymnasium.

Archbishop Tutu praised the college for its diverse student body, calling the gathering in the gym, "a rainbow of ethnicity."

He told the crowd in the Butova Gymnasium, that despite being bombarded with pressure to use drugs, "it is fantastic that so many children are able to say no," he said.

For many students, this was the first opportunity to listen to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But in all the years of the Archbishop's travels, he still believes that today's youth are the ultimate tool in shaping the future. "I believe in these young people." said Archbishop Tutu. “It is we who mess them up frequently. We adults mess them up."

Archbishop Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in ending South African apartheid. AIC president Vince Maniaci said the college was proud to host the world leader. "The archbishop is to the world what Martin Luther King was to the United States," he said.

And like many people around the world, Archbishop Tutu said he was very surprised when Barack Obama was elected president. "I had never believed that I would live to see the day when a black person would be sitting in the White House," said Archbishop Tutu.

The Archbishop spoke about pressing global issues such as AIDS, poverty, and equality, and then took questions from the students, before meeting with reporters.

Later in the day Archbishop Tutu was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree during a convocation at Symphony Hall, where he delivered the inaugural lecture in the public health series.

Tutu was the first speaker in the lecture series which is cosponsored by AIC and the Medical Knowledge Institute.

The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) is an international non-profit healthcare organization that focuses on education and providing information from the conviction that healthcare is a human right.

AIC trustee Peter Bittel, C.E.O. of Futures HealthCore of Springfield and co founder of the Medical Knowledge Institute, also received an honorary degree during the convocation.

Links to radio reports

Archbishop Tutu in Springfield
Helen Barrington (2010-04-26)

WFCR - Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was in Springfield to inaugurate "The Desmond Tutu Lecture Series on Public Health Awareness." It partners American International College with the Medical Knowledge Institute, a non-profit dedicated to healthcare education and information as human rights. The program opens with Dr. Peter Bittel, co-founder of the MKI. He introduces Archbishop Tutu, standing in for co-founder Harold Robles. Special thanks to WGBH-57, Public Television for Western New England
Listen Here

Archbishop Tutu in Springfield
Kari Njiiri (2010-04-21)

SPRINGFIELD, MA (wfcr) - More than 1,000 area high school and college students gathered at American International College in Springfield to hear South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. WFCR's Kari Njiiri reports. Copyright 2010, Listen Here

Desmond Tutu Urges Students To Be Idealistic
Paul Tuthill (2010-04-20)
NPR, WAMC

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WAMC) - Anglican church archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa visited Springfield Massachusetts Tuesday to inaugurate an annual lecture series on public health...The Nobel Peace Prize winner also spoke about social justice to an audience of area high school and college students... WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.... Copyright 2010, WAMC. Listen Here

WHYN Radio
ARCH BISHOP TUTU: "THIS IS A CRAZY COUNTRY"

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu is speaking in Springfield today about healthcare and to receive an honorary degree from American International College. Tutu spoke for about an hour today at the Butova Gym where he challenged the youth to be better people... for the media - he said that sometimes he was irritated when it came to their negativity. And he said that the only way to stop aids worldwide was to insure that they abstain... but then pausing and laughing... he suggested for college students "safe sex" would do as well. After his remarks, he met with reporters briefly where he spoke about "this crazy country." Here is what he said talking about the two Americas that he sees: Listen Here

Links to more media reports

Desmond Tutu Visits Springfield (CBS3)

Desmond Tutu Speaks at AIC (TV22)

ABC40 Tutu speaks in Springfield