From CommonWealth staff writer Gabrielle Gurley:
Where you stand on the Sen. Barack Obama-Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy depends on where you sit. From TV sitcoms to presidential candidates, that African Americans think differently than whites should come as no surprise to anyone who has voluntarily emerged from the comforts of his or her own cultural cocoon.
The furor over Rev.Wright has once again underlined those differences. Even the most cursory foray into the parallel universe of African American news and commentary shows that few black observers are as deeply disturbed by the sermons of Rev. Wright as their counterparts in the predominately white mainstream news media.
TheRoot.com, the newest black news and views entrant, launched by The Washington Post in January, aims to “[raise] the profile of black voices in mainstream media and engage anyone interested in black culture around the world.” In “Is Obama Wrong About Wright?” Michael Dawson opines that “the problem is that Wright's opinions are well within the mainstream of those of black America.”
BlackAmericaWeb, “a broad-based effort to become a timely and credible source for news and information covering all aspects of daily life, featuring a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives,” serves up Deborah Mathis’s commentary, “The Wright Dust-Up Shows and Proves That Many Whites Don’t Know Black People at All”:
Not every minister seasons his or her sermons with political commentary, and not every one who does is as fiercely spoken as Rev. Wright, but there is nothing unusual about the black clergy as social agitator. Guess the shockees didn’t know that. It seems they were also clueless that, when race, racism and discrimination do invade the pulpit, it is not always in the context of forgiveness and humility. Much of black America is resentful, angry and distrustful -- rightly so, some of us would say.
Reaction from blogger Shay at Booker Rising, a “news site for black moderates and conservatives” especially those 45 and under, is also low-key:
Since I live in the Chicago area, where Trinity United Church of Christ is located and where members have now been asked not to speak to the media, I had to agree with Sen. Obama when he argued that Rev. Wright is also more than how he has been portrayed and to reduce Rev. Wright to that narrow definition also emphasizes the negative and not the positive.
Of Obama’s Philadelphia address on race, New York Post editorial writer Robert A. George, a black conservative, says that Illinois senator gave “a brave speech” and throws this out on his blog, Ragged Thots:
Many conservatives who thought Obama was full of it will be even more convinced. Newt Gingrich called it "fundamentally dishonest" (one of those oh-so-rare times when I disagree with my former boss). However, the glee with which Rush Limbaugh declares that Obama has become "the candidate of race" is rather disturbing. It may be just to criticize Obama for not condemning Wright earlier -- or not abandoning his church -- but exulting in Obama's de facto "ghettoization" is nothing short of bizarre. So, we want more black "candidates of race", right, Rush? Great.
George also explores an important component that has gotten lost in the debate:
I wasn't raised in American black culture. I've attended mostly white churches. However, the few black churches to which I have attended aren't different just in their degree of worship; they are different in kind. The sermons are longer; the interactivity is more obvious; music is an essential element -- and they are spirited. And politics is a greater part of the sermons than they are in most white congregations I've attended. And there is an historical basis for that: The black church was the one area, from slavery and through Jim Crow, where their community could be a community without fear of the Powers That Be.
The progressive BlackCommentator.com features 14 takes on the historic speech from the site’s editorial board members. Jamala Rogers contributes this observation:
Most black folks are attracted to—even if superficially—anyone who speaks truth to power, who can “tell the truth and shame the devil.” I have yet to find a black person to wholly condemn the sermons by Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Our lives, our voices are muted or silenced every day in so many ways. Even our joys and successes are eclipsed by louder voices and more powerful images that propel the perceived worst of a people into the public domain. This often results in our blanket condemnation of one another without looking at the historical roots of our oppression. Or working harder to prove we are worthy of being US citizens and the rights that come with such a privilege originally conceived only for white men.
The presidential race has become a metaphor for race relations in this country: women (Hillary Clinton) and people of color (Barack Obama) duking it out while white men (John McCain) continuing their game plan.
Obama has put all his race cards on the table. It remains to be seen how his hand plays out.
