The Rev. Reuben Richards, active in the construction of the new South Africa and a part of the Truth and Reconciliation process, will deliver the annual Robbins Peace and Reconciliation Lecture at Berea College on Thursday, Oct. 19. Scheduled for 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel, the program is free and open to the public.

In addition to Thursday’s lecture, Rev. Richards also will be guest preacher at Union Church in Berea on Sunday morning, Oct. 22, and will lead the noon worship service in the College’s Danforth Chapel on Oct. 24.

Rev. Richards’ activities at Berea are sponsored by the Campus Christian Center through the support of the Robbins Peace and Reconciliation Fund.

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Rev. Richards grew up
and began his working life during the time of Apartheid. Employed first as a supervisor in a clothing factory and then as a tool and die maker, Richards then moved into Christian ministry.

He holds degrees from Western Theological Seminary in Michigan; Baptist Theological Seminary in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, and the University of Cape Town, where he earned his PhD.

Rev. Richards was teaching at the University of Witwatersrand when he was asked to head the investigations and research arm of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Johannesburg area. Subsequently, he was appointed as Executive Secretary of the Human Rights Violations Committee of the national Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and at the request of Rev. Desmond Tutu, he assisted the Commission's Amnesty Committee.

Since the completion of the Truth and Reconciliation process, Rev. Richards has participated in the construction of the new South Africa through various roles in the nation's government, where he continues to serve.

The Robbins Peace and Reconciliation Lecture Fund was established by Lexington resident and Berea alumni Earl G. Robbins and his late wife Sue D. Robbins, along with members of their family. Mr. Robbins, a retired insurance executive, is a former College Trustee.Begun in 1989, the Robbins Lectures have brought to central Kentucky speakers with perspective and insights that can assist those listening, in Mr. Robbins words, to "decide what is important in life."