David Patrick Hamilton Russell (6 November 1938 – 17 August 2014) was a South African
Anglican bishop.
Life and ministry
Russell was educated at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
.
Ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
in 1965, he was a
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
to migrant workers. From 1975 to 1986 he was banned and house arrested by the
South African Apartheid Government.
He was a
suffragan bishop in the
Diocese of St John's
The Diocese of Mthatha is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Before 2006 it was known as the Diocese of St John's, and earlier still as that of Kaffraria. The diocese currently has 96 ...
(now the
Diocese of Mthatha) from 1986 to 1987 and then
Bishop of Grahamstown
The Bishop of Grahamstown is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Grahamstown in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
The Bishop's residence is Bishopsbourne, Grahamstown
List of Bishops of Grahamstown
Diocesan bishops
# John Armstrong, D ...
until 2004.
Having been born in the late 1930s, Russell got immersed in the struggle against apartheid from an early age. He did his first degree at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
, and then studied for an MA at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He did his training for the priesthood at the
College of the Resurrection
The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England.
The college was founded in 1902 and describes itself as "A Theological Coll ...
, Mirfield, England. He later obtained his PhD in Religious Studies (specialising in Christian Ethics) from the University of Cape Town.
Anti-apartheid activism
A lifelong activist, Russell, who died on 17 August 2014 after a long battle with cancer, was a friend of
Steve Biko
Bantu Stephen Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known a ...
and many others fighting apartheid. His support assisted the Black Consciousness Movement in carrying out a number of projects, particularly those facilitated by the Black Community Programmes.
Among Russell’s many acts of defiance was when on 8 August 1977 he laid down in front of trucks and bulldozers to protest against forced removals from Modderdam in the Western Cape, an area declared "whites only". He was forcibly dragged by police and arrested as an “enemy of the state”. The apartheid regime served him with a five-year banning order in October 1977 restricting him to Cape Town.
Defying these banning orders, and found in possession of a book – ''
Biko'' – by
Donald Woods
Donald James Woods (15 December 1933 – 19 August 2001) was a South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist. As editor of the ''Daily Dispatch'', he was known for befriending fellow activist Steve Biko, who was killed by police after ...
, he was sentenced in 1980 to a one-year jail sentence. He denounced apartheid injustices and the arrests of anti-apartheid activists as vicious and pointed out that such kind of injustices filled people with “revulsion, bitterness and anger”.
Later in life, Russell was a founding member of the Steve Biko Foundation’s Board of Trustees and served in this role from 1998 - 2009. In recognition of his contribution to the liberation struggle and ongoing pursuit of social justice, Russell was nominated for a national order by the Foundation, and subsequently conferred with the Order of Baobab in Silver by President Jacob Zuma.
Russell contributed enormously to the South African liberation struggle and development at large. He will always be remembered for his role in fighting apartheid, and the memory of his contributions will continue to inspire coming generations
Bishop Russell was an ardent advocate of human rights and his concern for the rights of women was an important aspect of his ministry. Even in retirement he remained an outspoken advocate for inclusivity. He was a staunch advocate for social justice and stood firmly on the side of the oppressed.
Awards
On 27 April 2011, the President of South Africa,
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-apart ...
conferred the
Order of the Baobab
The Order of the Baobab is a South African civilian national honour, awarded to those for service in business and the economy; science, medicine, and for technological innovation; and community service. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and i ...
in Silver on Russell for his outstanding contribution to the theological field.
Notes
References
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External links
thePeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, David Patrick Hamilton
1938 births
2014 deaths
University of Cape Town alumni
20th-century Anglican Church of Southern Africa bishops
21st-century Anglican Church of Southern Africa bishops
Anglican bishops of Grahamstown
Order of the Baobab