My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.

South African religious leader Desmond Tutu has often spoken of human interconnectedness and the power of mutual care and respect. He upholds the importance of compassion and ubuntu, an African concept of shared humanity, which is reflected in the quote above. Tutu was the first Black person to hold several religious leadership roles in South Africa, and he used his position to oppose racial segregation and apartheid in the 1970s. In 1984, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his racial justice work. After apartheid ended, Tutu was chosen to lead the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which worked to address the human rights offenses of apartheid and promote national healing. An eloquent and passionate optimist, his belief that all people are connected and inherently good helped to unite a fractured nation.