On behalf of the entire law school community I wish to welcome all of you. I particularly wish to welcome our students, faculty, administrators, and our outside guests. I want to thank the student organizations, the Journal of Conflict Resolution and the International Law Students Association, which worked so hard to bring this special occasion about. I also wish to acknowledge the leadership of Harpreet Mann and Aaron Kiviat in this overall effort; they will both be speaking to you during our program this afternoon. Of course, I also welcome our distinguished and honored guest, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Having him here does great honor to the law school and we thank him for accepting our invitation.

I have just a few brief things I wish to say. Having the Archbishop with us today is an occasion that reminds us about something that we can all often forget. There are at least two important theories of history. One emphasizes that individuals can often make an important difference in world events and it celebrates the role of individuals in contributing to the public good. The other theory emphasizes the role of larger, impersonal forces in shaping world events. These two approaches offer two quite different ways to understand not only human events but the capacity of each of us to substantially influence the course of history.

Although the world today may make us all feel as though we, as individuals, have little if any capacity to have a significant impact on what is happening in the larger society in which we live, our guest today offers us a dramatically different lesson. During the 1970s and the 1980s, it is most unlikely that many, if any, believed that apartheid in South Africa would end in a peaceful manner. But yet, that is what has happened. Many people, including the Archbishop, participated in an astonishing effort that ended apartheid and transferred political power to Black Africans in a way that avoided a bloody, disastrous, and long civil war. Archbishop Tutu was one of those exceptional individuals who believed that peaceful change was possible. He along with others were courageous in their hearts and in their deeds. They set an example for all to admire, and they gave us reasons to believe in the capacity of individuals to affect societal change in unexpected and unanticipated ways. Together they sent us a message that we should not surrender our initiative to affect change even though the forces arrayed against change seem insurmountable.

There is much to be said about this gentleman, but since someone else will formally introduce him, I am only going to retell an anecdote that reminded me of the Archbishop just minutes ago. When the membership of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was under consideration, it was decided that individuals under consideration would be asked questions at a public hearing about their qualifications. Accordingly, when the Archbishop came forward to be interviewed, one of the first questions he was asked was: “I do not even know what to call you. Aren't you going to be very intimidating when you ask our leaders to tell about their experiences? Should I call you Your Highness? Should I call you The Bishop? I do not know, what would you say to that?” The Archbishop answered, “Well I do not care what you call me as long as you do not call me Your Graciousness. With regard to being intimidating, I in fact think I am a lot of fun”!

If you spend a minute or two with this man, you will find that the one thing he does most easily is laugh, and he does that gracefully and frequently at himself. On behalf of the Law School , I say welcome to the Archbishop. We are honored to have you with us.