Jeremiah Wright

Early years

Wright was born on September 22, 1941. He was born and raised in the racially mixed area of Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Jeremiah Wright Sr. (1909–2001), a Baptist minister who pastored Grace Baptist Church in Germantown from 1938 to 1980, and Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright, a schoolteacher who was the first Black person to teach an academic subject at Roosevelt Junior High. She went on to be the first Black person to teach at Germantown High and Girls High, where she became the school's first Black vice principal.

Wright graduated from Central High School of Philadelphia in 1959, among the best schools in the area at the time. At the time, the school was around 90 percent white. The 211th class yearbook described Wright as a respected member of the class. "Always ready with a kind word, Jerry is one of the most congenial members of the 211," the yearbook said. "His record in Central is a model for lower class [younger] members to emulate."

Education and military service

From 1959 to 1961, Wright attended Virginia Union University, in Richmond and is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Zeta chapter. In 1961 Wright left college and joined the United States Marine Corps and became part of the 2nd Marine Division attaining the rank of private first class. In 1963, after two years of service, Wright joined the United States Navy and entered the Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Wright was then trained as a cardiopulmonary technician at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Wright was assigned as part of the medical team charged with care of President Lyndon B. Johnson (see photo of Wright caring for Johnson after his 1966 surgery). Before leaving the position in 1967, the White House Physician, Vice Admiral Burkley, personally wrote Wright a letter of thanks on behalf of the United States President.

In 1967 Wright enrolled at Howard University in Washington, DC, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master's degree in English in 1969. He also earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Wright holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (1990) from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where he studied under Samuel DeWitt Proctor, a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr.

Wright and his wife Ramah Reed Wright have four daughters: Janet Marie Moore, Jeri Lynne Wright, Nikol D. Reed, and Jamila Nandi Wright, and one son, Nathan D. Reed.

Career as minister

Trinity and Wright were profiled by correspondent Roger Wilkins in Sherry Jones' documentary Keeping the Faith, broadcast as the June 16, 1987, episode of the PBS series Frontline with Judy Woodruff. In 1995, Wright was asked to deliver a prayer during an afternoon session of speeches at the Million Man March in Washington, DC.

Wright, who began the "Ministers in Training" program at Trinity United Church of Christ, has been a national leader in promoting theological education and the preparation of seminarians for the African American church. The church's mission statement is based upon systematized black theology that started with the works of James Hal Cone.

Wright has been a professor at Chicago Theological Seminary, Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary, and other educational institutions. Wright has served on the Board of Trustees of Virginia Union University, Chicago Theological Seminary and City Colleges of Chicago. He has also served on the Board Directors of Evangelical Health Systems, the Black Theology Project, the Center for New Horizons and the Malcolm X School of Nursing, and on boards and committees of other religious and civic organizations.

Wright attended a lecture by Frederick G. Sampson in Richmond, Virginia, in the late 1980s, on the G. F. Watts painting Hope, which inspired him to give a sermon in 1990 based on the subject of the painting – "with her clothes in rags, her body scarred and bruised and bleeding, her harp all but destroyed and with only one string left, she had the audacity to make music and praise God.... To take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope... that's the real word God will have us hear from this passage and from Watt's painting." Having attended Wright's sermon, Barack Obama later adapted Wright's phrase "audacity to hope" to "audacity of hope" which became the title for his 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address, and the title of his second book.

Controversies

Main article: Jeremiah Wright controversy

Wright, who was Barack Obama's former pastor, gained national attention in March 2008 when ABC News, after reviewing dozens of Wright's sermons, excerpted parts which were subject to intense media scrutiny. Obama denounced the statements in question, but after critics continued to press the issue of his relationship with Wright he gave a speech titled "A More Perfect Union", in which he denounced Wright's remarks, but did not disown him as a person. The controversy began to fade, but was renewed in late April when Wright made a series of media appearances, including an interview on Bill Moyers Journal, a speech at the NAACP and a speech at the National Press Club. After the last of these, Obama spoke more forcefully against his former pastor, saying that he was "outraged" and "saddened" by his behavior, and in May he resigned his membership in the church.

Nearly five months after the late 2008 Israeli invasion of Gaza resulting in heavy casualties, on June 9, 2009, in an interview with the Daily Press of Newport News, Wright indicated that he had no contact with Obama up to that point because "Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office." Wright also suggested that Obama did not send a delegation to the Durban Review Conference in Geneva on racism because of Zionist pressure, saying: "[T]he Jewish vote, the A-I-P-A-C vote, that's controlling him, that would not let him send representation to the Durban Review Conference, that's talking this craziness on this trip, cause they're Zionists, they would not let him talk to someone who calls a spade what it is." Writing for The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates characterized Wright's remarks as "crude conspiratorial antisemitism." On June 11, 2009, Wright amended his remarks during an interview with Mark Thompson on his radio program, Make it Plain. "Let me say like Hillary, I misspoke. Let me just say: Zionists... I'm not talking about all Jews, all people of the Jewish faith, I'm talking about Zionists."

Wright wrote on his Facebook page apologizing for his remarks on June 12, 2009. He wrote, "I mis-spoke and I sincerely meant no harm or ill-will to the American Jewish community or the Obama administration... I have great respect for the Jewish faith and the foundational (and central) part of our Judeo-Christian tradition." "In other words", Jeffrey Goldberg inferred, also in The Atlantic, "he regrets speaking plainly instead of deploying a euphemism." The pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League released a statement condemning Wright's remarks as "inflammatory and false. The notions of Jewish control of the White House in Reverend Wright's statement express classic anti-Semitism in its most vile form."

In June 2011, in a speech at Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Wright called the State of Israel "illegal" and "genocidal" and insisted, "To equate Judaism with the state of Israel is to equate Christianity with [rapper] Flavor Flav."

Retirement

Wright retired as pastor from Trinity United Church of Christ in early 2008. Over the course of his tenure, he brought the church's membership from 87 in 1972 to over 8,000 parishioners. Trinity United purchased a lot in Tinley Park, a predominantly white Chicago suburb, and built Wright a 10,340 sqft home valued at $1.6 million.

In September 2016, Wright had a stroke which paralyzed the left side of his body and left him reliant on a wheelchair; despite the effect on his voice, Wright continues to give sermons on certain occasions.

Honors

Wright has received a Rockefeller Fellowship and seven honorary doctorate degrees, including from Colgate University, Lincoln University (in Pennsylvania), Valparaiso University, United Theological Seminary, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Starr King School for the Ministry. Wright was named one of Ebony magazine's top 15 preachers. He was also awarded the first Carver Medal by Simpson College in January 2008, to recognize Wright as "an outstanding individual whose life exemplifies the commitment and vision of the service of George Washington Carver". On May 1, 2008, Northwestern University withdrew its invitation for him to receive an honorary doctorate in light of the controversy over his recent remarks.

Works

• Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., "Music as Cultural Expression in Black Church Theology and Worship", Journal of Black Sacred Music 3, 1 (1; Spring 1989).
• Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr. and Jini Kilgore Ross, What Makes You So Strong?: Sermons of Joy and Strength from Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Judson Press, November 1993,
• Jawanza Kunjufu and Jeremiah Wright Jr., Adam! Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don't Go to Church, African American Images, 1997, (also African American Images, 1994, )
• Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr. and Colleen Birchett, Africans Who Shaped Our Faith (Student Book and Leader Guide), Urban Ministries, Inc., 1995,
• Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr. and Jini Kilgore Ross, Good News!: Sermons of Hope for Today's Families, Judson Press, 1995,
• William J. Key, Robert Johnson Smith, Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. and Robert Johnson-Smith, From One Brother to Another: Voices of African American Men, Judson Press, 1996,
• Frank Madison Reid III, Jeremiah Wright Jr. and Colleen Birchett, When Black Men Stand Up for God: Reflections on the Million Man March, African American Images, 1997,
• Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr., What Can Happen When We Pray: A Daily Devotional, Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2002,
• Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr., *From One Brother To Another, Volume 2: Voices of African American Men *, Judson Press, 2003,
• Wright, Jeremiah A Jr. (2004), "Doing black theology in the black church", pp. 13–23, 213–214. In Linda E. Thomas (Ed.), Living Stones in the Household of God: The Legacy and Future of Black Theology, Minneapolis: Fortress.
• Wright, Jeremiah. "Here I am, send me". In Awakened to a calling: reflections on the vocation of ministry, Ann M. Svennungsen and Melissa Wiginton (Eds.), Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005.
• Wright, Jeremiah. "In the Lord's house, on the Lord's day". In Awakened to a calling: reflections on the vocation of ministry, Ann M. Svennungsen and Melissa Wiginton (Eds.), Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005.
• Iva E. Carruthers (Editor), Frederick D. Haynes III (Editor), Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. (Editor), Blow the Trumpet in Zion!: Global Vision and Action for the 21st Century Black Church, Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2005,
• Ernest R. Flores and Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Tempted to Leave the Cross: Renewing the Call to Discipleship, Judson Press 2007,

Wright has written several books and is featured on Wynton Marsalis's album The Majesty of the Blues, where he recites a spoken word piece written by Stanley Crouch, and on the Odyssey Channel series Great Preachers.

References

References

1. Hewitt, Hugh. (April 25, 2008). "Providing Context for Reverend Wright: The New Audio of His Sermons".
2. Wright, Jeremiah A. Jr.. (1990). "Black Sacred Music: Problems and Possibilities". [[United Theological Seminary]].
3. Alberts, Hana R.. (April 28, 2008). "Rev. Wright Reclaims the Spotlight". [[Forbes]].
4. (March 15, 2008). "About the Rev. Jeremiah Wright". [[The Seattle Times]].
5. Banks, Adelle. (2008-03-22). "Obama Finds Pulpit in Center of Racial Divide". The Washington Post.
6. Meyer, Stephen. (2013). "Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.". Gale.
7. (2011). "Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama's America". [[Princeton University Press]].
8. (2006). "Biographical Essays".
9. Wright, Jeremiah A.. (1989). "The Pilgrimage of a Pastor: The Autobiography of Jeremiah A. Wright Sr.". Aaron Press.
10. [https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/transcript1.html Bill Moyers Journal. Transcripts {{! PBS]
11. [http://www.tucc.org/pastor.htm Pastor] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-01-21 ''Trinity United Church of Christ'')
12. [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0404wrightapr03,0,92000.story Factor military duty into criticism – Lyndon B. Johnson, Dick Cheney, The White House – chicagotribune.com]
13. (April 4, 2008). "Factor military duty into criticism". [[Chicago Tribune]].
14. (2002-01-11). "Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Biography". The History Makers.
15. (2004-03-04). "The Biography of the Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.". [[Howard University]].
16. Udell, Emily. (February 8, 2005). "Keeping the Faith". [[In These Times (publication).
17. "Dr. Jeremiah A Wright Jr.". Corinthian Baptist Church.
18. ''Yearbooks of the United Church of Christ, 1971–72''
19. Gorski, Eric. (March 18, 2008). "Message of Obama Pastor Forged in Civil Rights Movement". [[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
20. Guess, J. Bennet. (2008-03-14). "Chicago's Trinity UCC Is "Great Gift to Wider Church Family". [[United Church of Christ]].
21. (26 March 2008). "White People Welcome at Trinity United Church of Christ". [[YouTube]].
22. Ruth, Daniel. (June 16, 1987). "Frontline: reports: Keeping the Faith". [[Public Broadcasting Service.
23. (1995-10-16). "Official Program". Million Man March.
24. "Donor Profiles". The Fund for Theological Education.
25. Talev, Margaret. (2008-03-20). "Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines". [[The McClatchy Company]].
26. Wright, Jeremiah. (2007-03-01). "Talking Points". Trinity United Church of Christ website.
27. [http://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/audacityofhope.html Sermon] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-07-25 printed in Preaching Today, 1990.)
28. (March 13, 2008). "Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11".
29. Dilanian, Ken. (March 18, 2008). "Defenders say Wright has love, righteous anger for USA". [[USA Today]].
30. Adubato, Steve. (March 21, 2008). "Obama's reaction to Wright too little, too late". [[NBC News]].
31. Johnson, Alex. (March 14, 2008). "Obama Strongly Denounces his ex-Pastor". [[NBC News]].
32. "Listening to Rev. Wright" ''OnPoint'', 29 April 2008.
33. Michael Powell. (June 1, 2008). "Following Months of Criticism, Obama Quits His Church". [[The New York Times]].
34. Squires, David. (June 10, 2009). "Rev. Jeremiah Wright says "Jews" are keeping him from President Obama". [[Daily Press (Virginia).
35. Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (June 11, 2009). "Jeremiah Wright".
36. Tapper, Jake. (June 11, 2009). "Rev. Wright: I Meant to Say "Zionists" Are Keeping Me from Talking to President Obama -- Not Jews".
37. Sweet, Lynn. (June 12, 2009). "Wright Apologizes for 'Them Jews' as Museum Reopens".
38. (June 11, 2009). "Rev. Wright Clarifies".
39. (June 11, 2009). "ADL Expresses Outrage At Reverend Wright's Hateful And Inflammatory Comments". [[Anti Defamation League]].
40. Mossburg, Marta. (June 21, 2011). "Reverend Wright brings his anti-American crusade to Baltimore". [[Baltimore Sun]].
41. Jennifer O'Shea. 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jeremiah Wright. ''U.S. News & World Report''
42. Sherwell, Philip. (3 May 2008). "Jeremiah Wright to retire in 'white suburb'". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
43. Siler, Brenda C.. (January 17, 2018). "Rev. Jeremiah Wright Still a Champion for the People". The Washington Informer.
44. "Jeremiah Wright receives Simpson's first Carver Medal".
45. Schettler, Emily. (2008-03-27). "Medal Recipient's Recent Comments Stir Controversy". The Simpsonian.
46. Goldman, Julianna. (2008-05-01). "Rev. Wright's honorary degree canceled by Northwestern". Yahoo! News.
47. [http://www.wyntonmarsalis.org/discography/jazz/the-majesty-of-the-blues/ ''The Majesty Of The Blues'' – Track list]
48. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071209060816/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/192432/Great-Preachers-Jeremiah-Wright/overview Great Preachers: Jeremiah Wright (1998)]