I have to confess that your post The Soul of Barack Obama: Part I was the sole inspiration for this one. Thank you for the motivation!

Peace

I agree with you vehemently! Reverend Wright is refreshing in this era of black churches with spiritual leaders that insist on being one of the also rans. So many people want to do little more than repeat the interest of the dominant community. The black community has too many people who are assimilationist and narcissistic wannabes. As long as there is a black person who is willing to turn his or her back to the black community we will never have the wherewithal to come together as a single unit with the ability to promote the interests of the black community that will promote racial equality and understanding.

Peace

They are following Obama’s lead and dismissing him as hate speech as some egotisical man who has only received attention in the last three months. Truth is, Wright is a prominent and well respected minister, he was honored by Essence Magazine, he used to be on TV-One, he has been rewarded by many organizations, churches, universities etc… and he built a church across from a projects in Chicago when he could have gone to some other neighborhood. He ministered the sick, aided the elderly, nurtured the youth, mentored ex-cons and those in prison and more. Rev. Otis Moss III who is 37 and the new pastor of Trinity is great too. He is almost like Wright’s protege. When I hear people say that Wright refuses to allow to pass the torch to young people as they claim he refuses to do with Barack, they are lying.

I believe in Barack but I know the downfall of politicans especially black politicans in keeping with their black constituency. The presidents that blacks have lauded and hung pictures of on their wall and called “black”, played them. Some of them still don’t get it. Government is not the answer, things have to start from the bottom up. We cannot allow for the few arenas of public space to go silent or unprotected. Wright is in keeping with the fire and brimstone preaching of the real black church. He’s no T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar or any other of the other moviestar, P.I.M.P, bling preachers that have corrupted the essence of the black church.

Our community has too many bargainers and opportunists. They sell us out when they are ready to make another million. The last 30 years have seen the rise of multi-millionaire black athletes, fake leaders, corrupt black politicans, hip-hop moguls, comedians, superficial talk show hosts and the list goes on. They could care less about the black community yet they are lauded. They sell their souls for white approval and acceptance.

I am very young, but this is not shocking. Black people are still confused as to their condition, what the idea of unity is and how to bring about change. Blacks in the last 30 years have allowed for themselves to lead a deluded life. They will pay when they see the basket were they put all their eggs bottom out. They will begin to point fingers but I will then point them to a mirror.

You know Brother Peacemaker and the Black Sentinel, I feel like we are in the minority. Sad.

I must say that I have little hope of the representatives of black churches saying or doing anything to stir up the status quo. In my humble opinion the Reverend Jeremiah Wright was a refreshing change from the same old tow the lilne rhetoric of pastors like Creflo Dollar and T.D. Jakes. Most preacher’s sermons usually run along the line of just make your ten percent of salary donation to me and I’ll talk to god about getting you a blessing.

For the most part, the current state of the black church is a true disappointment. But nevertheless, historically speaking the black church has been the one true source of change for the black community. Will black people ever get back to a point where we can rely on the black church to become the instrument of social change once again. Only Baba Orunmila knows, and he isn’t saying. But it is a fair bet that the catalyst for social change won’t be generated by any black politician. American politics refuses to be anything but the same old status quo of white priviledge and black subjugation.

The whole point of the article was to try and get people to think what the successful election of a black politician will mean for the black community. I don’t see it meaning much of anything. A lot of people will have high expectations and will be highly disappointed. The politician has rarely been an agent of change.

Peace

We will have little in the way of anything to show for a black man in the presidency. We will have, just like you said, more of the same old same old. People think that these small advances which are a long time overdue will somehow give their and all black lives a big boost of some sort. Haven’t we all been disappointed enough by these thoughts?

I don’t want to be cynical but I agree with you that we have had mayors, senators, congressmen, police chiefs, fire chiefs and union presidents and we are still suffering from widening disparities. Does anyone really think that white dominated congress, senate and supreme court is going to allow a black president, if we get one, to pass any legislation that will benefit blacks to the tune of equality? HA! People wake up and get your head out of that dark stinky place because that would be like asking each white American to shoot their foot off. It won’t happen!

Thanks for a great post. Hopefully people will realize that the only change that comes will happen when we pull together whether it be churches or whatever and MAKE change happen.