Barack Obama missed a valuable opportunity last week to acknowledge America's dramatic social changes and to soundly refute those who are content to wallow in bigotry of bygone days.
More than a year ago, we raised questions about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's teachings at Chicago's now nationally known Trinity United Church of Christ. Last week, when national news outlets excerpted some of Wright's most vitriolic quotations and Americans saw firsthand the enthusiastic response of the Trinity church family, those same questions reappeared and became a national discussion topic.
Segments of sermons showing Wright outrageously claiming the federal government developed the AIDS virus for black genocide and blaming the United States for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while sarcastically declaring "America's chickens have come home to roost" were featured on national news. Polls immediately began to show a decline in enthusiasm for Obama.
In a nationally televised speech, Obama defended his 20-year relationship with Wright, saying the 66-year-old pastor "was like family" and "a part" of Obama. Then he distanced himself from Wright's most controversial quotes.
"Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity," Obama said. He went on to portray Wright's anger as being the result of a black man's struggles through 1960s and '70s racial tensions.
Ironically, Wright's upbringing was educationally privileged. He is a third-generation college graduate. Both of his parents held doctorates. As a young man, Wright attended a premier college preparatory school in Philadelphia.
Perhaps Wright's legendary venom toward non-blacks is not so much the result of a difficult life experience as much as deeply-ingrained religious black liberation theology and the Black Value System, a doctrine adopted by Trinity almost 30 years ago.
In addition to advocating devotion to the black community, the black family, the black work ethic, allegiance to black leaders who advocate the Black Value System and personal commitment to the Black Value System itself, Trinity's unique church doctrine details the "Disavowal to the Pursuit of 'Middleclassedness.' "
Until just recently, Trinity's Web site provided a description of the Black Value System's conflict between blacks (referred to as "captives") and non-blacks ("captors"):
"Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the 'talented tenth' of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor's control," the site said.
Trinity's Web page described these captors and what they do to keep control of captives. According to Wright's teachings, "captors" purposely separate the "talented tenth" from other "captives" through three various methods:
First, "Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another."
Also, "Placing them in concentration camps and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons."
Then finally, "Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizing them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of 'we' and 'they' instead of 'us.' "
A black person must reject the lure of money and success, which often leads to "rising above one's raising," the perceived curse of "Middleclassedness." Reject "Middleclassedness," Trinity teaches, and blacks "no longer will be deprived of their birthright, the leadership, resourcefulness and example of their own talented persons."
Such destructive rhetoric must be challenged in America's public forums. Instead, on March 18, presidential candidate Obama did his best to stifle further discussion of Wright's destructive teachings and turn the political tables.
"We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words," he said.
"We can do that. ... But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change."
It's true, Sen. Obama, racial strife will not cease if we as a nation don't directly face destructive teachings, such as those emanating from mosques and churches, including the one with which you so proudly identify. While Wright has every right to preach as he wishes in his pulpit, we have a responsibility as fellow citizens to challenge irresponsible demagoguery.
Our self-righteous junior senator should be reminded that over the past 130 years, the United States' laws and regulations slowly have been corrected to ultimately rid our nation of racial discrimination.
Change has taken place in America already, senator. Despite what Trinity teaches, there are no captors or captives. There are only good folks who desire to move ahead toward a better day for all who follow - no matter their color, race or creed.
Fran Eaton is a south suburban resident, a conservative activist in state and national politics and an online journalist. She can be reached at featon@illinoisreview.com.
