'See the goodness': Desmond Tutu's legacy lives on in Norwell's Stewart Ting Chong

Suzette Martinez Standring
·3 min read
The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Norwell resident Stewart Ting Chong, shown at a restaurant in Harvard Square, worked together to stop apartheid. Ting Chong will give a talk about experiences and friendship with the archbishop Oct. 27 in Duxbury.
The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Norwell resident Stewart Ting Chong, shown at a restaurant in Harvard Square, worked together to stop apartheid. Ting Chong will give a talk about experiences and friendship with the archbishop Oct. 27 in Duxbury.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

DUXBURY – Stewart Ting Chong grew up in apartheid South Africa at a time when interracial marriages were illegal and punishable by imprisonment.

Ting Chong, who is of Asian descent, was classified as "nonwhite" and could not go to a white school or live where he wanted.

“Every racial classification had their own rules and educational systems and areas where they could live," Ting Chong said. "I could not live in a white area or go to a white school. There wasn’t such a thing as having any relationship with a white person.”

His wife, Marsha Minasian, is American and of Armenian ancestry. She grew up in Rockland. The couple first met at the JFK Airport where a conversation about South African politics led to love. Ting Chong moved to Massachusetts so they could marry. His longtime friend, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, presided over the wedding at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hingham in 1999.

Long before meeting his wife, Ting Chong worked closely with Archbishop Tutu for seven years in South Africa to end apartheid. It was dangerous work, yet Archbishop Tutu was a role model for how to love the whole of humanity.

A year after Archbishop Tutu's death, Ting Chong is continuing to spread the word against racism. His presentation “A South African Perspective on Racism” takes place from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Duxbury Free Library. Ting Chong will share stories about his experiences living for 35 years under apartheid, and his friendship and work with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end apartheid. He was also the first Black bishop of Johannesburg and archbishop of Cape Town.

“He was able to see the goodness in every single person, and it is something that to this day, given the politics in this country, I struggle with," said Ting Chong. "And yet deep down, he has always believed that people are born from goodness. They are not born to be evil, they are born to be good.”

In 1999, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, center, officiated the wedding of his friends Stewart Ting Chong and Marsha Minasian at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hingham.
In 1999, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, center, officiated the wedding of his friends Stewart Ting Chong and Marsha Minasian at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hingham.

Ting Chong lives in Norwell and is an  information technology project manager and and an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University and Boston University.  He accepted the library’s invitation to speak because he is a longtime activist and supporter of human rights organizations. He said he admires the philosophy and objectives of Duxbury for All, an organization that promotes acceptance, diversity and inclusivity.

“One has to have a very deep belief and faith in good to be able to draw from that well to be nourished. The archbishop would spend hours in silent prayer, spend a whole Friday fasting and praying. That’s the way he drew his inspiration,” Ting Chong said.

Ting Chong said he finds his own peace and inspiration in birding. He has taken photos from Plum Island, Duxbury Beach, Marshfield and Audubon locations.

“I do photography as a hobby and that’s my refuge. I go birding. I go out in nature.  It’s where I draw my energy.”

Ting Chong's presentation is free, but registration is required. To reserve a seat, call  781-934-2721 or go to www.town.duxbury.ma.us/duxbury-free-library.

Suzette Standring, of Milton, writes the Ledger's Bright Side column.
Suzette Standring, of Milton, writes the Ledger's Bright Side column.

More Bright Side

'A very powerful event': Braintree cancer survivor steps up for Jimmy Fund Walk

'Trash talk starts at 6 a.m.': Good eats, good fun all for a good cause at Rib Cook-off

Duxbury: Sip and savor traditions of Japanese tea ceremonies at Art Complex Museum

Good faith: Hingham and Cohasset welcome new religious leaders

'Something magical about painting': Art Barn Studio is a haven for creativity in Hanover

Milton resident Suzette Martinez Standring writes Bright Side, a good news column featuring information on the South Shore and the people who live here. If you have an idea for a future column, reach her at suzmar@comcast.net.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Archbishiop Desmond Tutu's legacy endures Norwell's Stewart Ting Chong