Black Battle, White Knight

Michael Battle is Herbert Thompson Professor of Church and Society and Director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York. He is the author of 11 books, including Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor.Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.

"It is the overarching scope of your life, the depth of your experience, the centering spirit within and the translation of those inner murmurings into concrete acts of justice and love that leave me nearly breathless. How long have we known each other? Of course I knew the outlines of your ongoing and remarkable life and witness. I experienced your friendship and benefited from your wise counsel. We broke bread. I knew of your courage and integrity manifested in so many stages. Still, I am at once both happy to see more deeply into your life now even as I am appalled and not a little saddened by my own dank ignorance now uprooted by the biography. So, may I say, 'Hello, Malcolm. It is very good to meet you in the light of day.' Very good, indeed."—Larry B. Stammer, thirty-year Los Angeles Times journalist