Thousands came to hear Tutu speak in Toronto
More than 35 years ago, with South Africa under apartheid rule, Archbishop Desmond Tutu challenged Ontario to become more involved and help save his country from the “morass of bloodshed and chaos.”
It was a historic speech in 1986 — the first time in 34 years that a foreign dignitary had addressed a special session of the Ontario Legislature, moving some to tears, according to a story in the Toronto Star.
“I stand here appealing to people of conscience. Help us. Please help us. Our country is burning. Our children are dying,” Tutu pleaded.
Tutu, who died Sunday at age 90, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work on the front lines, fighting non-violently for the freedom of Black South Africans.
And during his visit to Toronto at the end of May 1986, he invited Ontarians to join his effort to dismantle the apartheid system.
After addressing MPPs, thousands of people came out to a fundraiser where he was joined by celebrities such as Salome Bey and Harry Belafonte at the “Toronto Arts against Apartheid Festival.” There, he reiterated the need for Canada to impose economic and political sanctions on South Africa.
“We can do it together, with love, with your love, our love. We cannot stop hoping,” he told a man in the crowd who stopped him to tell his own story of discrimination, repression and injustice. A woman in the crowd also managed a private moment. “You are loved here,” she whispered to Tutu.
The week-long event culminated in a “Rally Against Apartheid” at Queen’s Park that year, with a turnout of thousands spellbound by Tutu’s words.
Tutu’s work fighting for freedom of the oppressed was an inspiration for people all over the world. His activism had a deep impact, and is still felt in Canada today. Tutu’s name lives on today in Toronto on a waterfront street, Bishop Tutu Boulevard, near Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West, named after him in 1985.