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The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Battle welcomes Thandeka Tutu to Trinity Church Wall Street for an exploration of the spiritual leadership and life of her father, Archbishop-Emeritus Desmond Tutu. This event will include, but will not be limited to, a discussion of Dr. Battle’s latest book Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Autobiography of South Africa’s Confessor.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of the most recognizable figures of the late 20th century. The world knows him as the most visible leader in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. What many people do not know about the man known as “the Arch” is the theological foundation that supports all he has accomplished in his life and the deep and consistent rhythm of prayer that undergirds him on a daily basis.

The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Battle has spent the past 27 years writing a book that describes these little-known qualities of Archbishop Tutu. That book, Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor will be discussed at Trinity Church on December 10 when Michael Battle welcomes Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe for a conversation about her father and the spiritual legacy he has offered through his leadership as a gift to the world.

Trinity will present this event to both an in-person audience and online. It will include a question-and-answer session, and Dr. Battle will also be available for a book signing.

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Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe

Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe, MPH is the CEO of the Desmond Tutu Tutudesk Campaign Centre (DTTCC), a charitable educational organization which addresses the 95 million desk shortage in sub-Saharan Africa. DTTCC aims to provide 20 million environmentally friendly, portable desks to schools in Africa by 2025. DTTCC the lives of African children, their communities, countries and makes Africa a more globally competitive continent through improved literacy and education.
Thandeka has been educated and worked in the UK, Swaziland, Botswana and the USA. She is passionate about education and public health, especially the fight against HIV/AIDS, and improving the health and education experiences of young people, thus promoting global peace and justice. While completing her Masters of Public Health at Emory University, Thandeka received several fellowships including from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Cancer Society, the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, the South East AIDS Training Center & the Dekalb County Board of Health.

Michael Battle

Currently appointed as Herbert Thompson Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York, the Very Rev. Michael Battle, Ph.D. has an undergraduate degree from Duke University, a master’s of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, a master’s of Sacred Theology from Yale University, and a PhD in theology and ethics, also from Duke University. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1993.

Battle has published eleven books, including his latest, Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor. You can learn more about his academic, parish, and peace work at his website, michaelbattle.com.