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April 29, 2008
” No matter how you cut it, a statement that seems to justify or at least explain 9/11 for a lot of Americans will diminish it, no matter what the context is. - E.J. Dionne ”
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” There’s a deep sense on the part of many that Reverend Wright is saying the things that need to be said and that he has a right to say them ” - Earl Hutchinson
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” I think that the key is for [Obama] to move on with his campaign and the reason why he’s running and to not get caught up in what Reverend Wright has to say ” - Hugh Price

Sen. Barack Obama’s mentor and longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, recently.play NewsHour video
spoke out publically against media organizations and political campaigns that have criticized his sermons-carving them up into sound bites which have been making the YouTube rounds for weeks Wright claims the historical and cultural context of his sermons has been ignored in the push to discredit presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Wright’s media attention has taken a toll on Obama’s poll numbers and on the campaign itself. At a press conference Tuesday, Obama called Wright’s recent press appearances “appalling and outrageous.”Such direct condemnation stands in contrast to his more subtle response to Wright in his speech on race last month. In that speech, he acknowledged his disagreements with Wright, saying “I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy.” Quickly, however, he mentioned his close connection to Wright, who baptized both of his daughters and whose sermons he followed closely for many years.

“The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor,” he said, adding, “I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street.”

In this NewsHour video report and discussion, three veteran commentators assess the ramifications of Wright’s media attention on Obama’s campaign.

Already there is a negative political ad based on Wright’s sound bites. How will Obama respond? Will the issue of race become a dominant issue in this campaign, even as the candidates protest it shouldn’t? Will this political campaign lead to more understanding and tolerance in our country or toward more racial divisiveness? Wright’s self-righteous zeal and suddenly high profile is seen as a crisis for Obama’s more moderate and inclusive approach. The Chinese ideogram for “crisis” is said to symbolize both “opportunity” and “danger”— what dangers and opportunities do your students see in this situation?

Does your class think the individual issues raised by Rev. Wright, such as our country’s track record on social justice or military involvements abroad, are legitimate? And do they think that criticism is an attack on Wright or the black church, as he contends?

Below are links to NewsHour and internet resources related to the current controversy

NewsHour Links
NewsHour Report Wright Defends Sermons as Debate Over Race Continues
Reporter’s Blog: Obama Denounces Former Pastor’s Remarks on Race

Other Links
Bill Moyers interview with Rev. Wright Video and Transcript
Obama’s Address on Race - A More Perfect Union
Trinity United Church: Liberation Theology
NY Times BlogRunner Politics: Black Power from the Pulpit

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