A luminous journey

Title: The Girl from Montego Bay: The Autobiography of Britain's first black woman bishop.

Author : Rose Hudson-Wilkin

Publisher : SPCK Publishing, 2025

ISBN : 9780281089604

Price: £12,99 (hardback)

This is an inspiring story of faith and resilience, overcoming adversity, with humour and poignancy; a story of faith and endurance. It made me smile and cry. God works in mysterious ways and he certainly did with Bishop Rose.

The book chronicles her life, from her childhood in Jamaica to her ministry in England, including her time in London, the Midlands, Hackney, the House of Commons, and ultimately as Bishop of Dover.

Bishop Rose starts her autobiography describing the moments she met her two heroes: Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Attracted to them because she “loved their resilience, their hope, their way of living out the Christian faith, their uncompromising stance on justice,” she goes on to comment: “Most of all, I loved that they looked just like me!” But she hadn’t wanted to simply meet them; she wanted to emulate them.

A poster that she has long embraced says “Do not go where the path leads. Go where there is no path and leave a trail.” That’s just what she’s done.

Bishop Rose poignantly describe the many times she was discriminated against due to her colour, her gender and the pressure she has felt as she has forged the way for others: “I’m conscious of carrying the weight of the knowledge that I am a woman, and a black woman; I don’t have the option of being second best or mediocre, because other black women need to come after me, and how I perform will determine how they are received,” she says.

How she performed is revealed by the fact that she became one of the first women to be ordained as a priest, the first black priest to be chaplain to the Queen, to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the first black woman to be a bishop in the Church of England.

We're all on a journey. And this is a luminous journey of resilience, of faith, of joy and hope. Bishop Rose's ability to share her experiences with "passion and integrity," showcasing her "costly and lifelong obedience to Jesus Christ” is inspiring, encouraging readers to embrace opportunities and challenge societal norms. Above all the honesty and vulnerability in recounting both the triumphs and hardships of her life are highlighted.

For me, it stirred up some emotions and was inspiring and thought provoking, having been discriminated against myself several times due to my colour, gender and race. I loved her courage in speaking out for justice and for her commitment to those who suffer discrimination and prejudice. Highly recommended.

Shirley Murphy