Reverend William G. Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, embarked this week on a pilgrimage to visit six African countries. His 19-day sojourn features stops in South Africa and Kenya, where he will be meeting with UUSC partners. He will also be visiting Uganda, Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria.

The goals of Sinkord's journey include learning from the experience and wisdom of leaders in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation work (including Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu) and learning from the leaders of social justice and human rights movements, such as UUSC partners the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) [1] and the Rock Women Group [2] and KENASVIT [3]. Other goals include renewing ties with Unitarian Universalists in Africa and bearing witness to one of the centers of Atlantic Slave Trade, Île de Gorée (in Senegal).

Sinkford is scheduled to meet with CAWP and their members on November 12 - 13. His meeting with the Rock Women Group is set for November 16 and his meeting with KENASVIT for the following day. On or around those dates, staff of UUSC's Environmental Justice and Economic Justice Programs will be posting blogs commenting on Sinkford's visits. Please be sure to visit UUSC's website!

The UUA has created a website featuring a wide menu [4] of resources on Sinkford's trip, including background on the places and people he's visiting, a blog [5] to which Sinkford is posting frequent reports, and an invitation for constituents to submit [6] questions they'd like Sinkford to ask of Archbishop Tutu and other leaders.