Academic

Jeremiah Wright ? In Context

By Christopher Bracey

Barack Obama?s Speech on Race has proven a remarkable achievement in American political history.  It represents one of the few times that a presidential candidate has spoken candidly on matters of race, with intelligence and compassion.  And while I applaud the fact that Obama successfully initiated a public conversation on race, I remain disturbed by the fact that it was the comments of Jeremiah Wright, as depicted by mainstream media outlets, which created this discursive opportunity.

The segments of Wright?s sermon ? endlessly recycled by the media ? were largely devoid of context.  That context is critical to a full appreciation of Wright?s comments.  In traditional media outlets, there was no mention of the Psalm that grounded Wright?s discussion of violence; no mention of the apolitical teaching that violence often begets violence; no mention of Wright?s rather modest claim that the Sept. 11th attacks should trigger a moment of self-reflection among Americans; and perhaps most disappointingly, no mention that Wright?s description of the Sept. 11th attacks as ?chickens coming home to roost? was explicitly borrowed from Edward Peck, former Ambassador to Mauritania and former Chief of the Mission to Iraq.

Reasonable minds continue to disagree on whether ?The Speech? helped Obama?s candidacy.  But is it reasonable to take Wright?s comments completely out of context, then threaten to derail the candidacy of the leading democratic candidate if he does not respond satisfactorily (whatever that might mean in the eyes of mainstream media)?

The video below places the media snippets of Wright in their proper context.  Did the media act irresponsibly by fabricating the Jeremiah Wright controversy?  Was Obama?s ?Speech on Race? an opportune response or a mistake?  Will this controversy (including Obama?s response) prove decisive in this race?

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Full post as published by BlackProf on March 24, 2008 (boomark / email).