The news of the death of my friend, Desmond Tutu, filled me with mixed emotions. I was saddened at his passing, but glad that I had the opportunity to know him and to share mutual experiences.
He and I are the same age, and being of color, knew denial and segregation first hand.
After being together at an event, I invited him to visit me at the state Capitol. He and his daughter spent several days in the mansion and we had deep and penetrating discussions on racism and its effects.
I spent time with him at his lovely residence in Cape Town, South Africa, continuing our recipes for building a consensus for demanding what is right and criticizing what is wrong.
He ALWAYS presented what he thought was right and condemned what was wrong. He was indiscriminate in his criticism; presidents, prime ministers, fellow Africans and religious leaders—all who participated in human denial—felt the sting of his rebuke.
The world has lost a great leader; I have lost a friend.
Stay tuned.
