Special Feature
(Over several weeks the national news networks have repeated brief negative video
and sound clips of Reverend Wright. This article examines Wright’s sermon given five
days after 9/11 in order to review his comments in context. The purpose is not to
advocate his positions but to provide as many facts and details about the man and his
message as our little paper has space and time to print. We hope that our readers will
read or listen to the text of Wright’s sermons and other writings before rushing to
judgment because the meaning of words is better learned in context. The audio of
Wright’s sermon is located at the web address in our bibliography.—Ed.)
Wright or Wrong: Have a Lesson on a Listen
By Carol Forsloff
Reverend Jeremiah Wright, impassioned orator and controversial minister, has been
quoted repeatedly during recent weeks. Everyone knows that the most emotionally-
laden material, presented at the right time and place, will elicit a certain level of
response from most readers or listeners. The national media, knowing this, continued
to repeat messages without context, since they are aware that many people read and
listen in “bites” rather than whole dinners. In fact many media folk never bothered to
read or listen to any of Wright’s sermons and the statements in context before making
comments, and that’s serious during an election in wartime and recession when this
country needs informed citizens and competent leaders.
So this writer decided to listen to one of Wright’s sermons called “The Day After
Jerusalem’s Fall” that was given on September 16, five days after the bombing of the
World Trade Center of September 11, 2001. I have since listened to two others, but
for the purpose of this article I have excerpted segments in context as the sermon is
too long to print in our paper while giving an overview of the larger sermon itself.
The most popular quote used to condemn Wright was the phrase “chickens coming
home to roost.” In the sermon Wright did not make this statement directly but quoted
the former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Deputy Director of the terrorism task force
under President Reagan, Edward Peck, in his remarks that were aired on Fox News.
Here are portions of Wright’s sermon. In retrospect the sermon is somewhat
prophetic because Wright compares the causes and consequences of the fall of
Jerusalem to the bombing of the Towers, and the potential of America to seek revenge
and look for a target for that revenge, as had occurred in the sixth century when
Solomon’s temples were destroyed. Did he anticipate the War in Iraq when he gave this
sermon on September 16, 2001?
From the sermon “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall’
Reverend Wright began his sermon by asking his parishioners to review Psalm 137 in
the Old Testament of the Bible. He talked about the old gospel sounds, and recited
verses from them, that were based on the words of Psalm 137 and talked about how
people in the throes of pain and despair nevertheless were told to give thanks for their
lives and for each day. He spoke about the fall of Jerusalem, the carnage that followed
it, and the revenge that the people sought afterwards, beginning with soldiers in battle
and ending with the killing of babies. Solomon had taken eight years to build his
temples that were destroyed in eight hours, Wright said, then quoted from the Book of
Kings about the terrible killing that followed and the insanity of the cycle of war.
Then he said, "I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. Did anybody else
see or hear him? He was on FOX News. This is a white man, and he was upsetting the
FOX News commentators to no end. He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he
pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in
fact true. He said America’s chickens are coming home to roost."
"We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the
Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism. "We took Africans away from their
country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.
"We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.
"We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed
unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.
"We bombed Qaddafi's home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your
children's head against the rock. (This is a quote from the last verse of Psalm 137)
"We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a
plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard
working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that
they'd never get back home."We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we
nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted
an eye.
"Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not
soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day. "We have supported state terrorism
against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because
the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front
yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.”
"Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A
white ambassador said that y'all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches
about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to
wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised.
The ambassador said the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we
have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with
them. And we need to come to grips with that."
Reverend Wright continued his sermon by describing how he watched the bombing of
the World Trade Center Towers on television on 9/11, and how he thought about his
family and how he would feel if he never saw them again. He talked about how others
might feel watching their friends and family members die. He spoke about the people
who literally held each other’s hands as they jumped out of the windows to avoid being
burned alive and how difficult it would be to never see your family again.
Reverend Wright followed all this by saying that he’d had a personal revelation that
helped him understand the 9/11 events constructively. He said that there were three
actions to take: self examination, examination of relationships and social
transformation. "We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a
society," –We can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. We
need to declare war on racism, injustice and greed, instead of war on other countries.—
and be a positive force at a time of hate.
"Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40
billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death. Do you think we
can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death?
Maybe we need to declare war on the nation's healthcare system that leaves the
nation's poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the
mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every
citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social
transformation." Reverend Wright continued by saying, “This is time to tell God thank
you for all that he has provided and that He gave us and that he gave us another
chance to do His will.”
Wright ended his sermon by saying that this was a day of adoration that God had
made. He reminded his parishioners to say thank you to God for their lives and for
their blessings and for the lives that had been lost during the bombing of the Towers.
His presentation style was like many Southern preachers, who mix eloquence with
strong imagery and booming voices, a style unfamiliar to sedate Sunday
congregations. The sermon is best understood as a piece because just like the Bible
upon which many Wright’s remarks were based in this sermon, the context can present
a somewhat different profile than the few words and images that have been shown on
television.
Most of the mainstream media is owned by large conglomerates, and we must wonder
why it is that Wright’s remarks were played out of context before a few reporters
attempted to analyze his remarks in their proper context. To understand the man’s
beliefs, his remarks must be judged against the tapestry of his life’s work, writings and
sermons. We don’t know how frequently extreme views were presented or in what
context. And while politicians distant themselves from him, it should be noted that
Wright was a welcome figure in the Clinton White House and served as one of those the
Clintons turned to during their personal and political travail post Monica Lewinsky. The
ethnic media did not respond as quickly nor as dramatically as the mainstream media to
the Reverend Wright controversy. Was this because the ethnic media lacked
compassion or is un-American? Certainly not. It is likely there is a different
perspective based upon history and experience. But there is a shared experience of all
Americans that allows us to rethink our stereotypes when we get the details to do that
rethinking. How much television information comes from the bias of media owners
who profit from the continuing debate on this issue and how much is factual is difficult
to determine. We don’t know the full story of Reverend Wright either, but we do know
that there is more to it than has been advanced so far. We also wonder, like the rest of
the American public, the purpose of Wright’s continuing defense of himself at a time
when that defense may be more harmful than supportive of an African American
candidate for President. And finally, we pose the question: should the conversation
on race be at high decibels or moderate in a style that will allow for reflection and
personal growth? Clearly we are at a crossroads with the issue.
Wright’s Biography
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he
finished his basic education, then attended Virginia Union University for three and a half
years before entering the Marine Corps where he served for six years as a
cardiopulmonary technician. After leaving the Marines Wright got both his Bachelors
and first Masters degrees at Howard University, then his second Masters from the
University of Chicago Divinity School and later on a Doctorate from the United
Theological Seminary. Wright has eight honorary doctorates and was named as one of
America’s top fifteen preachers by Ebony Magazine. He is married to Ramah Reed, and
the couple has five children and three grandchildren. In addition to his role as minister,
Wright is known as an accomplished musician and author, with four books in print
along with numerous articles and sermons. He has served on numbers of boards and
committees at both the national and international levels. Wright began his ministry at
Trinity United Church of Christ in 1972, which has white, black and Hispanic members,
and where the motto of the church has been 'Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically
Christian' affirmed as helping individuals embrace their racial identity rather than be
ashamed of it. During his ministry the church membership expanded from the initial 87
members to the current membership of 6000.
Bibliography
1. Source Watch, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy, http://www.
sourcewatch.org
2. http://www.tucc.org/pastor.htm: Official website of Trinity United Church of
Christ
3. The Full Story behind Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s 9/11 sermon, CNN, Anderson
Cooper 360
4. http://essence.typepad.com/news/2008/03/listen-to-rev-j.html: The entire
text of the speech by audio. Also available at http://www.therealviews.com/Education.
html.
and sound clips of Reverend Wright. This article examines Wright’s sermon given five
days after 9/11 in order to review his comments in context. The purpose is not to
advocate his positions but to provide as many facts and details about the man and his
message as our little paper has space and time to print. We hope that our readers will
read or listen to the text of Wright’s sermons and other writings before rushing to
judgment because the meaning of words is better learned in context. The audio of
Wright’s sermon is located at the web address in our bibliography.—Ed.)
Wright or Wrong: Have a Lesson on a Listen
By Carol Forsloff
Reverend Jeremiah Wright, impassioned orator and controversial minister, has been
quoted repeatedly during recent weeks. Everyone knows that the most emotionally-
laden material, presented at the right time and place, will elicit a certain level of
response from most readers or listeners. The national media, knowing this, continued
to repeat messages without context, since they are aware that many people read and
listen in “bites” rather than whole dinners. In fact many media folk never bothered to
read or listen to any of Wright’s sermons and the statements in context before making
comments, and that’s serious during an election in wartime and recession when this
country needs informed citizens and competent leaders.
So this writer decided to listen to one of Wright’s sermons called “The Day After
Jerusalem’s Fall” that was given on September 16, five days after the bombing of the
World Trade Center of September 11, 2001. I have since listened to two others, but
for the purpose of this article I have excerpted segments in context as the sermon is
too long to print in our paper while giving an overview of the larger sermon itself.
The most popular quote used to condemn Wright was the phrase “chickens coming
home to roost.” In the sermon Wright did not make this statement directly but quoted
the former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Deputy Director of the terrorism task force
under President Reagan, Edward Peck, in his remarks that were aired on Fox News.
Here are portions of Wright’s sermon. In retrospect the sermon is somewhat
prophetic because Wright compares the causes and consequences of the fall of
Jerusalem to the bombing of the Towers, and the potential of America to seek revenge
and look for a target for that revenge, as had occurred in the sixth century when
Solomon’s temples were destroyed. Did he anticipate the War in Iraq when he gave this
sermon on September 16, 2001?
From the sermon “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall’
Reverend Wright began his sermon by asking his parishioners to review Psalm 137 in
the Old Testament of the Bible. He talked about the old gospel sounds, and recited
verses from them, that were based on the words of Psalm 137 and talked about how
people in the throes of pain and despair nevertheless were told to give thanks for their
lives and for each day. He spoke about the fall of Jerusalem, the carnage that followed
it, and the revenge that the people sought afterwards, beginning with soldiers in battle
and ending with the killing of babies. Solomon had taken eight years to build his
temples that were destroyed in eight hours, Wright said, then quoted from the Book of
Kings about the terrible killing that followed and the insanity of the cycle of war.
Then he said, "I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. Did anybody else
see or hear him? He was on FOX News. This is a white man, and he was upsetting the
FOX News commentators to no end. He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he
pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in
fact true. He said America’s chickens are coming home to roost."
"We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the
Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism. "We took Africans away from their
country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.
"We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.
"We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed
unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.
"We bombed Qaddafi's home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your
children's head against the rock. (This is a quote from the last verse of Psalm 137)
"We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a
plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard
working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that
they'd never get back home."We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we
nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted
an eye.
"Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not
soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day. "We have supported state terrorism
against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because
the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front
yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.”
"Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A
white ambassador said that y'all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches
about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to
wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised.
The ambassador said the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we
have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with
them. And we need to come to grips with that."
Reverend Wright continued his sermon by describing how he watched the bombing of
the World Trade Center Towers on television on 9/11, and how he thought about his
family and how he would feel if he never saw them again. He talked about how others
might feel watching their friends and family members die. He spoke about the people
who literally held each other’s hands as they jumped out of the windows to avoid being
burned alive and how difficult it would be to never see your family again.
Reverend Wright followed all this by saying that he’d had a personal revelation that
helped him understand the 9/11 events constructively. He said that there were three
actions to take: self examination, examination of relationships and social
transformation. "We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a
society," –We can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. We
need to declare war on racism, injustice and greed, instead of war on other countries.—
and be a positive force at a time of hate.
"Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40
billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death. Do you think we
can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death?
Maybe we need to declare war on the nation's healthcare system that leaves the
nation's poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the
mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every
citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social
transformation." Reverend Wright continued by saying, “This is time to tell God thank
you for all that he has provided and that He gave us and that he gave us another
chance to do His will.”
Wright ended his sermon by saying that this was a day of adoration that God had
made. He reminded his parishioners to say thank you to God for their lives and for
their blessings and for the lives that had been lost during the bombing of the Towers.
His presentation style was like many Southern preachers, who mix eloquence with
strong imagery and booming voices, a style unfamiliar to sedate Sunday
congregations. The sermon is best understood as a piece because just like the Bible
upon which many Wright’s remarks were based in this sermon, the context can present
a somewhat different profile than the few words and images that have been shown on
television.
Most of the mainstream media is owned by large conglomerates, and we must wonder
why it is that Wright’s remarks were played out of context before a few reporters
attempted to analyze his remarks in their proper context. To understand the man’s
beliefs, his remarks must be judged against the tapestry of his life’s work, writings and
sermons. We don’t know how frequently extreme views were presented or in what
context. And while politicians distant themselves from him, it should be noted that
Wright was a welcome figure in the Clinton White House and served as one of those the
Clintons turned to during their personal and political travail post Monica Lewinsky. The
ethnic media did not respond as quickly nor as dramatically as the mainstream media to
the Reverend Wright controversy. Was this because the ethnic media lacked
compassion or is un-American? Certainly not. It is likely there is a different
perspective based upon history and experience. But there is a shared experience of all
Americans that allows us to rethink our stereotypes when we get the details to do that
rethinking. How much television information comes from the bias of media owners
who profit from the continuing debate on this issue and how much is factual is difficult
to determine. We don’t know the full story of Reverend Wright either, but we do know
that there is more to it than has been advanced so far. We also wonder, like the rest of
the American public, the purpose of Wright’s continuing defense of himself at a time
when that defense may be more harmful than supportive of an African American
candidate for President. And finally, we pose the question: should the conversation
on race be at high decibels or moderate in a style that will allow for reflection and
personal growth? Clearly we are at a crossroads with the issue.
Wright’s Biography
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he
finished his basic education, then attended Virginia Union University for three and a half
years before entering the Marine Corps where he served for six years as a
cardiopulmonary technician. After leaving the Marines Wright got both his Bachelors
and first Masters degrees at Howard University, then his second Masters from the
University of Chicago Divinity School and later on a Doctorate from the United
Theological Seminary. Wright has eight honorary doctorates and was named as one of
America’s top fifteen preachers by Ebony Magazine. He is married to Ramah Reed, and
the couple has five children and three grandchildren. In addition to his role as minister,
Wright is known as an accomplished musician and author, with four books in print
along with numerous articles and sermons. He has served on numbers of boards and
committees at both the national and international levels. Wright began his ministry at
Trinity United Church of Christ in 1972, which has white, black and Hispanic members,
and where the motto of the church has been 'Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically
Christian' affirmed as helping individuals embrace their racial identity rather than be
ashamed of it. During his ministry the church membership expanded from the initial 87
members to the current membership of 6000.
Bibliography
1. Source Watch, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy, http://www.
sourcewatch.org
2. http://www.tucc.org/pastor.htm: Official website of Trinity United Church of
Christ
3. The Full Story behind Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s 9/11 sermon, CNN, Anderson
Cooper 360
4. http://essence.typepad.com/news/2008/03/listen-to-rev-j.html: The entire
text of the speech by audio. Also available at http://www.therealviews.com/Education.
html.