William G. Sinkford
The Reverend William G. Sinkford | |
|---|---|
| Interim Co-President of the Unitarian Universalist Association | |
| In office April 10, 2017 – June 25, 2017 Serving with the Rev. Sofía Betancourt and Dr. Leon Spencer | |
| Preceded by | Rev. Peter Morales |
| Succeeded by | Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray |
| 7th President of the Unitarian Universalist Association | |
| In office June 24, 2001 – June 28, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Rev. John A. Buehrens |
| Succeeded by | Rev. Peter Morales |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1946 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | Maria |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Occupation | Senior minister, First Unitarian Church of Portland (2010–present) |
The Rev. William G. Sinkford (born 1946) is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served as the seventh president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), from 2001 to 2009. His installation as UUA president made him the first African American to lead that organization, or any traditionally white religious denomination in the United States.
Mr. Sinkford, spent his childhood in Cincinnati and became a Unitarian-Universalist when he was 14 years old. He wrote, I claimed the church when as a young black man, I walked into First Unitarian, Cincinnati, and found a religious community where I could be fully myself. Though he left in the 1970s believing that the Universalists had retreated from engagement with racial justice. He returned to find a religious home for his two children. He was ordained in 1995. In April 2017, Sinkford was appointed interim co-president of the UUA (along with Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt and Dr. Leon Spencer) following the resignation of Sinkford's successor, Rev. Peter Morales. Sinkford served until the election of a new president, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, in June 2017.
Since 2010, he has served as the senior minister for the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon.