John Sentamu interview: When the toe hurts
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By Naomi Young, Reform Magazine
“If everybody spoke out, even in a small way, then we would soon see movement on the issues that matter”
The Church of England’s second most senior clergyman is known for his deep engagement with social and justice issues and his outspoken views.
His keen interest in the welfare of both young and older people is illustrated by a glance at a couple of weeks’ worth of press reports, which highlight: an affirming visit to homeless youngsters at a new YMCA centre; a challenge to policy makers and parents to put children first, following a new report that revealed worrying levels of unhappiness among under 18s; an article in the Guardian in which he appeals for the government to demonstrate compassion for elderly people in its approach to cuts: “Treat today’s older generation in the way you hope to be treated when your turn comes.”
As a prominent anti-racism campaigner and a former high court judge in Uganda (before fleeing to Britain from Idi Amin’s regime in the 1970s), John Sentamu served as an advisor on the Macpherson Inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence from 1997 to 1999 and chaired the Damilola Taylor murder investigation review in 2002.
He regularly speaks and campaigns on justice issues both at home and overseas and has made particular efforts to keep world attention focused on the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe – as his dog-collar-cutting gesture during a BBC TV interview in 2007 most famously demonstrated.
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