Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Rev. Jeremiah Wright: 'I've Been Preaching The Same Thing For 40 Years'


They don't come much whiter than myself, but I believe I see where Wright is coming from. I probably would have been shocked by the comments that were all over the media if I'd heard them a decade ago, but not now. I've become friends with black men around Wright's age, and heard some of their stories. One was in the wrong place at the wrong time in LA (across the street from an incident), and was beaten by the cops so badly he lay in jail overnight struggling to breath, while another man futilely yelled for someone to get a doctor for him. He's currently a missionary.



Stories like that opened my eyes as to where the anger comes from. It's easy to forget that it hasn't been that long since the civil rights era. I wasn't born yet, so it was difficult for me to comprehend just how recent it was.



Obama is trying to move beyond Wright's era and message, and I think Wright understands that, too. It seems to me he's willing to be marginalized if it's for the good of the black community, though I think he's understandably upset that much of what he was saying was taken out of context and mis-characterized.



I think Wright's message was better suited to a different time, but that doesn't mean he should be forgotten or made into a villain. He has my respect.
About Jeremiah Wright
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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