India to South Africa: How two activists defied their family legacies to challenge injustice

The month of May marks two important anniversaries for two very different activists. One was born on May 10, 1915; the other died on May 25, 1928. These individuals led very different lives over the course of the 20th century – one was an outspoken Christian minister in South Africa, the other was an anti-caste activist in Maharashtra.

These men shared one key similarity: they were born into privileged families, with incredibly influential fathers who held regressive attitudes, one about race, the other about caste. And yet, through the course of their lives, both these activists defied their family legacies to challenge the injustice they saw around them.

In this current moment, when hate and bigotry of all forms seem to be on the rise across the world, the examples of Beyers Naudé (1915-2004) and Shridharpant Tilak (1896-1928) are worth revisiting today.

Beyers Naudé

Beyers Naudé (1915-2004) was a Christian minister who became one of the most prominent white activists in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. He was born in Johannesburg in 1915 into an influential Afrikaner family (descendants of primarily Dutch settlers) who were known to be “faithful members” of the Dutch Reformed Church, which later played a key role in justifying apartheid through Christian teachings.

Three years after Beyers’ birth, his...

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