South African Anti-apartheid Crusader Peter Storey Speaks at Myers Park

American mythologist Joseph Campbell offers hope for "community," suggesting that multiple perspectives can co-exist. "When you see the Earth from space, you don't see any divisions of nation-states there. This may be a symbol of the new mythology to come; this is the country we will celebrate, and these are the people we are one with."

South African Methodist preacher, pastor, and church leader Peter Storey sees parallels between the Civil Rights movement in the US and the Anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. On April 5, 2004, he dialogued with Myers Park students about his pre and post apartheid experiences in South Africa.

Dr. Storey is a South African Methodist church leader and Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at the Duke Divinity School. He teaches at Duke one semester each year and returns to South Africa to work on human rights issues. Dr. Storey is perhaps best known as Nelson Mandela's prison chaplain on Robben Island and for his close association with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the church's anti-apartheid struggle.

In the 1960s, he developed innovative downtown ministries in Cape Town and Johannesburg. He is a former bishop of the Johannesburg/Soweto area and national leader of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. He has played key roles in peacemaking structures in South Africa and was appointed by President Mandela to help select the nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

According to IB Coordinator Dr. Ron Thomas, "We want our speakers to demonstrate understanding and appreciation for the differences found around the world and how people can draw strength from each other when they work together. Interactions with world renown speakers like Dr. Storey are at the heart of our tolerance and diversity initiative."