William G. Sinkford
Encyclopedia
The Rev. William G. Sinkford (b. 1946 in San Francisco) was elected the seventh president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
of Congregations in 2001. Sinkford was elected to his second and final term as president in 2005. His installation as president made him the first African American
to lead the organization. He was succeeded in 2009 by the Rev. Peter Morales
.
, from which he graduated cum laude in 1968. In 1995, Sinkford received his M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry
.
In 2002, Tufts University
awarded Sinkford the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
, Honoris Causa.
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
of Congregations in 2001. Sinkford was elected to his second and final term as president in 2005. His installation as president made him the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to lead the organization. He was succeeded in 2009 by the Rev. Peter Morales
Peter Morales
Peter Morales is the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, elected in 2009. He is their first Hispanic president. He was formerly the senior minister of the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Jefferson County, Colorado, a rapidly growing Unitarian Universalist congregation in the...
.
Education
Sinkford attended Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, from which he graduated cum laude in 1968. In 1995, Sinkford received his M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry
Starr King School for the Ministry
Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley, California and part of the Graduate Theological Union. Starr King School opened in 1904 as the Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry...
.
In 2002, Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
awarded Sinkford the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
, Honoris Causa.