Sentamu

The powerful and inspirational autobiography of the Right Revd and Right Hon. Dr John Sentamu, the boy from a Ugandan village who became the first Black archbishop in the Church of England.

---

Written with the verve and panache that characterized his ministry, this moving and compelling memoir, Sentamu, tells the story of the Right Revd Dr John Sentamu’s journey from his childhood in rural Uganda to his elevation to the British House of Lords in 2021.

Born in 1949, John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu became Archbishop of York in 2005 – the first Black Archbishop in the Church of England. Before that, he was Bishop of Birmingham (2002–2005), and Bishop of Stepney (1996–2002), when he served on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Team and chaired the Damilola Taylor Murder Investigation Review.

Throughout his long and eventful ministry, Archbishop Sentamu has campaigned on a range of important issues – including the family, gay relationships, multiculturalism, poverty, race, slavery, the welfare of young people, and conflict and injustice abroad.

Sentamu’s decision to flee his native country in 1974 followed a turbulent time when, as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda, he was imprisoned for speaking out against the oppressive rule of Idi Amin. Since then, his stated priorities have been ‘to seek God's rule of justice, peace and love’ and ‘to be part of God's movement of change, standing at the intersection where human need and God's love meet.’

Sentamu’s inspiring autobiography demonstrates the life-transforming power of God’s love and one man’s incredible journey to be part of God’s movement of change.