₦airaland Forum

Wright tells NAACP audience: 'A change is going to come'


The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the controversial Chicago minister and former pastor to Sen. Barack Obama, drew a thunderous round of applause tonight at the NAACP's Freedom Fund dinner when he praised the organization for its 99 years of battling discrimination and racial injustice.


The event, sponsored by the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, the oldest chapter in the nation, drew an estimated 12,000 people to Cobo Hall to hear Wright's remarks. The crowd stood and gave Wright a loud and sustained round of applause as he took the podium.

His first order of business was to sing the praises of the NAACP for its civil rights work over nearly a century. Much of that work, he said, was done in cooperation with the nation's black churches -- so much so that they were "seemingly joined at the hip" in their battles against racial injustice, he said.

“The NAACP has an incomparable record. It has the longest list of achievements in the history of this country as being the undisputed champion in the fight against discrimination," he said.

"Throughout its 99-year history, the NAACP has been built by people of all races, all nationalities and all faiths on one primary premise, which is that all men and women are created equal. The nation’s oldest civil rights organization has changed America’s history.”

Wright moved quickly to address the controversy surrounding him.

Some say that “just my appearance in Detroit will be polarizing," he said. "I’m not here for political reasons. I’m not a politician. Many of corporate owned media have made it seem that I’m running for the Oval Office. I’ve been running for Jesus for a long, long time.

“I’m sorry your local political analysts are saying that I'm polarizing and my sermons are divisive. I’m not here to address an analyst’s opinion. I stand here as one representative of African-American church tradition, believing that a change is going to come.”

Wright, who is retiring as pastor of the 6,000-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, followed the dinner’s theme of “A Change is Gonna Come,” giving a humorous mini-lecture about the difference in style and linguistics between African Americans and whites.

“A change is coming because we no longer see others as being deficient," he said.

The crowd cheered when he acted out the differences between white marching bands and black ones.

“One is not abnormal and one normal — it’s just different,” he said, explaining the difference between black and white church traditions.

“I come from a tradition, where we give God the glory, and we give the devil the blues,” he said.

Amid the humor, however, he took a moment to respond to Republican Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who called Wright “divisive” during an April 18 forum attended by the leaders of Detroit and Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. He referred to Patterson only by his title, not by name.

"I am not one of the most divisive," Wright said. "Tell him the word is descriptive."

Wright was the perfect person to invite to the group’s 53rd annual Freedom Fund dinner, chapter officials said before the dinner.

"We’ve had a history of inviting the most profound … leaders of our nation," said the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit group. "We look for the best, and the hottest brother in America right now, other than Barack Obama, is Jeremiah Wright."

Snippets of Wright’s sermons, which some have interpreted as anti-American and anti-white, have been played on a nearly constant loop on cable news networks since they first aired last month.

"And we knew that the looping was looping out the truth," Anthony said.

The furor caused by the comments prompted a major speech on race by Obama.


The choice of Wright as the dinner’s keynote speaker today also will provide an opportunity for all of America to get a better understanding of the African-American church, Anthony said.


"We wanted to reposition and speak for the churches: white churches, black churches," Anthony said during a press conference before the dinner today. "We must not allow anyone to dictate what can come from the pulpit of African-American churches."


Many were eager to see Wright at the event.


http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/NEWS01/80427047/1001/NEWS

tezzaspete,you are one mentally enslave bruv,and you are far from knowing it,you sound more like a redneck stereotypical depiction of a black male in america,intentionally misunderstood and suppressed.

The fact that black cops are involved in the killing is not an excuse,a typical blackcop in america,especially new york is an ass licker just like you,sell outs,caught up in the limbo of not knowing who they really are,and what the real game is,not blacks and can never be whites,just puppets.

You have a long way to go for you to start seeing clearly,and the problem of black people adds up today because many fail to realise the fundamental issues,right from the days of Marcus Garvey,to Malcolm X,till date,you always have the easy way out indoctrinated bigots.That guy was killed for who he is,negro.

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery and call a spade a spade.Originality is priceless,an average whiteman wants things to remain the same as long as they are winning,you keep playing the fool,it is for real.Lost souls.

@Texazzpete:
Just because things aren't fancy at home, in Nigeria doesn't permit us to lose our soul and turn into an original American dirty as s licker.
FYI: Real enlightened or well informed whiteman doesn't respect folks (blacks) that intentionally sell themselves at a discounted fee. No matter how much you try, with this kind of attitude you've presented, you will forever be a cheap irreverent black monkey in the eyes of your masters.
No one is asking you to hate whiteman or to make every issue a race issue, but it is also very clever to be aware of the real world and stay away from this playstation artificial comic.

Wow, REDSUN!
I rest my case.

That will be something; may be we should also change the color to red, this way it would easily get all the attention it deserves.

What do you think?

I wouldn't drink too much while on duty

I would introduce myself as an undercover police

I wouldn't judge anyone by the color of their skin

I wouldn't judge any one by their social class

I wouldn't pull my gun unless I'm in real danger

If I have to use my gun, I would follow the official protocol : "shoot twice, pause, and observe the situation"

Finally, I would treat others the same way I would prefer myself or any members of my family to be treated.

Mr hype-man, when are you finally going to grow and buy your own car?

you thought they were armed!

@Texazzpete:

That's the main key!

There is no such thing as "you thought" when it comes to armed police man. You must be on point, if you can't, then you should find yourself another job. The police officer's position is not for a dolt or a coward.
You must have the ability to think and react effectively under any circumstances.

Furthermore, there are several effective strategies that could be taken when that word "you thought" comes to your mind. And this is part of their training. You just don't start shooting because folks are black and "you thought they were armed".

The NYPD's action on that sad night is called error; and this is what they haven't admitted.

If every cop walks around with your attitude or state of mind, I wonder how many of you will remain in your neighborhood.

And nobody is trying to drag Iraq into this mess; Iraq scenario just happens to be a factual example of how much respect you (texazzpete) get in US.

Good luck and I hope you wouldn't experience a terrible scenario before you wake up!

Noone talking about choice here. i'm saying Cops are human beings who very much want to stay alive. Any cop with a deathwish is a bad cop, simple as that. Please learn to stop, think and READ before jumping to conclusions.

Please don't derail this discussion by dragging Iraq into it. Too many bad vibes from that subject matter.

The description of an excellent cop is simple: and it is called "Selfless"

As a cop, when you start thinking about your wife, your children, your car, your dog, your house or yourself, then it's time for you to look for other career (and infact many who couldn't take the risk have done just this).
It isn't by force, it is absolutely a risky job and also it isn't for everybody.

You should take your own advise; You do not need to read, just learn to Stop and think!

It is also scary and very interesting to me that if the table is turned and the cops happen to be US army, victims happen to be Iraqis and location happens to be Baghdad (war Zone).
I bet you that the US army would have been severely punished for their careless action just to keep things stable; but it isn't so when it comes to blacks in US. I wonder why keeping things stable at home (between white and black) isn't a priority.

These cops aren't robots. They are human beings, with wives, sons and daughters. They have families they want to go home alive to

My friend, I'm sorry to inform you that cops have options to be pilot, taxi driver, lawyer, house cleaner and so on. It is not by force to be a cop; if you can't follow the rules and respect human lives because of the risk that comes with the job, I will advise you to go and be a pastor. And FYI, this is exactly  how they're informed at the beginning of their training.

They absolutely have choice, but the citizens on the other hand do not have choice to select which cops should be allowed to carry gun.

Yes, their job is risky without any questions, but at the same time this doesn't permit them to kill as they desire because they have families they want to go home alive to.

Absolutely rubbish!

It is very easy to fake the funk and talk rubbish when your brother or sister is not the victim.

But remember that the same cow skin the husband used to beat the first wife could also be used to beat the second wife at anytime.
Let's be careful; this could happen to anyone of you folks in US at anytime and anywhere (it doesn't have to be at the gogo club in the middle of the night, it could be at the church during the day time)

Do you also know that as undercover police, couple of the officers also had too much to drink that same night at the same club?
But of course, they did not allow this to come out.

Official protocol of NYPD: Depending on the operation, as undercover police (while on duty), they are allowed to have no more than two drinks, but the bar tender admitted that couple of the officers had more than five drinks before the shooting show went down. Few days later the same bar tender disappeared.

For anyone to try to justify NYPD's shady businesses is despicable. I advise you to get to know these folks first and how they operate.

Official protocol of NYPD: 2 shots pause and observer the situation; if no one was shooting back and there was no gun involved, why fired 50 times? The shots were so sporadic that folks at the near by train station almost got killed by the same 50 bullets.

NYPD home-grown protocol: If you make mistake, you must shoot to kill; and it is purely clear that this was the protocol these officers followed.

It is obvious that these folks made a big booboo; and it is sad that innocent families will have to pay for it.

It doesn't matter what kind of record any of these victims had or has; no one deserves to die or to be treated like shi t.

And please, stop saying minority officers are involved. Trust me, it isn't about these folks; what is being protected is much bigger.

I can also assure you with confidence that under every circumstance, a whiteman getting married in the morning will never be treated carelessly like this.

I pray for the family and all the victims!
Never, never stop fighting for your loved ones.

Not a good day for real black folks in United States; but I wish you folks a great weekend!

http://www.livevideo.com/video/APnews/FE028F447D274A7EB039BB1622A1EBDE/protests-feared-when-sean-bell.aspx


The struggle continues!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfFfUxBDMDY

Do not be a fool!

My man, I do not work for NYPD, but I'm directly connected to this department. I know how they think and how things go down.

Forget the minorities, don't ever allow that to bamboozle your mind, This is one of the reasons why they've taken this position without any hesitation[b] "minorities are involved[/b]".

What is being protected is mighty obvious.

As much as we all do not want race to be dragged into everything; there are also some obvious circumstances that are directly connected to race.

It is what it is; it is very easy to fake the funk and talk rubbish when your brother or sister is not the victim.

Why must race be dragged into everything?

Please, do not fool yourself or be bamboozled. If you think race is not involved; I will advise you to chill out for now, when you get yours I'm sure you will wake up.

Time will tell!

Another big slap on blackman's face in America.
It's crazy, ridiculous and unbearable.

It makes no sense to try or want to campare this to Nigeria; please, leave Nigeria out of it and focus on the mighty land of injustice and the presentation of pure inequity.

We are running around inviting and signing major contracts with China and others; I just hope that our leaders are smart enough not to sign away our revenues, power and future, all for the sake of developing our nation.
While Nigerian university graduates are walking around the country jobless or being slave drivers in other countries, it has also been confirmed that the Chinese and others plan to mostly use their own resources (human labor) to accomplish their contractual obligations in Nigeria. I hope this is incorrect, we must stay away from making mistakes that will eventually hunt us down for many years to come.

FYI: China and India have abundance of people or populations of extreme poverty (not that much different from our own population). These folks are desperate and willing to take extreme measures to survive with the backing of their countries.
If we are not careful, at some point, these same folks will not hesitate to makeup an excuse to grab what is rightfully not theirs. And we would only have ourselves to blame when this happens.

Please, keep in mind that I'm not trying to send a message of hate or to denounce the projects that are being implemented by the foreigners in Nigeria; all I'm saying is for our leaders to be prudent and ensure that we are not feeding a poisonous snake as a pet.

Furthermore, I also think that it's very important for African leaders (especially the ones that are blessed with natural resources) to quickly realize that as things continue to get difficult all across the world, many blood suckers are targeting Africa.
African continent is weak and being viewed as a large pie that is widely open to be grabbed. They are dreaming, plotting and scheming on how to cut it up. This is also one of the main reasons why political and social crises in Africa are intentionally being ignored. All it takes is another African zomby to sell us at a very cheap price!
We must wake up, become our brother's keeper and quickly discover the enormous priceless value of African continent.

Yes, it (African continent) isn't glamorous, but it is absolutely true that "You do not know what you have till is gone"

May God bless Africa with real leaders with wisdom!

not a diseased president who should be repenting for his sins as he is about to quench at any minute, and head straight to hell fire!!!!

@almonj:
This is a terrible statement for anyone to make!

It's either you're straight up foolish or you're just another repudiate moppet that craves for attention by doing or saying doltish shi t.
Yar'Adua may be a diseased president today, but no one knows what tomorrow will bring; again, be very careful and learn how to respect yourself as a young girl.
There are other better ways to get attention.

you hungry sufferhead like you! Get out of Nigeria so you can feed well at KFC at least.

I'm not sure if I clearly understand the different between "hungry sufferhead" and "living large" It seems to me that many of us have mixed things up in our mind.

Because from what I see from the pic; I'm not sure if there is anything special to write home about!
I see a smelly corpulent bimbo having a crusty unhealthy looking breakfast.

Please, do not let us get carried away; living on the other side of the sea doesn't necessarily means living large.

And I challenge you to prove that you're living better than an average Nigerian where-ever you say your location happens to be.

Whoever the cap fit can please put it on!

If I was wearing Yar'Adua's shoes as the president, I would use this opportunity to send a message across the board that "Nigerian government will not tolerate any mistreatment of her citizens" .

I say, make a replacement arrangement with other well established airlines and sanction the bastards (BA) (6 months suspension).

I can guarantee you that the outcome of the sanction will not only affect Nigerian citizens positively, but will also touch other African countries favourably.
And I'm also sure that many business men and students all across Nigeria will learn one or two things from the saction.

It takes an unprecedented action to send a message that will yield an effective outcome.

If you like wake up and if you like don't; but I'm sure that at the right time your master (whiteman) will wake your as s up!

I rest my case.
May God bless Nigeria.

Enjoy the rest of the day, folks!

Just because I'm crazy and I beat my mother every day doesn't me I will allow James across the street to touch her.

We have problems in Nigeria, but our pride must also be protected at all cost.

Again, bravo goes to Yar'Adua!

why are Nigerians been harrased around what is the root cause? is it an african thing? racist? Advance fee fraud?

Do not fool yourself; advance fee started in America, by white Americans.
There isn't anything Nigerians are doing or have done in the past that is new to the world, trust me, there are tons of worst countries out there, but you will never hear much about these countries.

Why?
They are well respected.

Why?
They do not sell themselves cheap
They mostly do not escape to other countries to be slave drivers

You can not start rolling on the dusty fool and expect me to invite you into my car for a ride.

Wake up, guys!

Glory be to God that I do not need Green passport to move around, but I've witnessed how Nigerians are being harassed all over the world and I must admit that it is absolutely unbearable.

Let us join hands and protect our pride together.
We are only going to be treated the way or manner we've picked to present ourselves to the world.

Nigerians are extremely unique, cool, smart, friendly, loving, caring, hard working and the guys among them will do almost everything to see a beautiful chick smile.

@bawomolo:

Yes, we must blame ourselves for part of the issue; but to condone Nigerian citizens being mistreated by foreign airlines is the beginning of  bastardism.

i'm sorry, the aviation record of Nigeria is horrible but the first that gets investigated is the customer service of foreign airlines. does that make sense to you??

Why do folks continue to think this way?

Aviation record is an home grown problem (totally different entity). I suggest to open a different topic for this issue

Nigerian citizens being mistreated my foreign airlines is a major problem, which must be immediately addressed effectively. Or else this small issue will lead to a bigger issue and many of us will pay for it indirectly whether we like it or not.
It is a vital responsibility of a true leader (president) to protect the citizens of the nation.

Nigerians, please stop degrading our pride as human beings for the sake of the future.


You must never never sell each other cheap regardless of what may be going on in Nigeria!

I want to ask o - does living in America turn people into a fool and a stupid buffon who does not know how to make objective statements and rational thinking?

Some of these fools don't even have a green card.
It is so sad.

But it is true that it is worthless to send home a boy that has no home.

Our standard of living is very low, our leaders are corrupt, our people can not be trusted, we do not have electric or water supply on a regular, our roads are also retarded and so on.

Nigerian citizens must be treated with respect at all time regardless of what our nation may be up against.
At this point, the only thing we (Nigerian citizens) have left that is solid is our pride; and I'm sorry to inform some of us that this pride must be protected at all cost.

It is also clear to me that we do not need a blood test or blood sample to detect a bastard. It is written everywhere on the wall.

May God continue to bless Nigeria and quickly bring back the beautiful days!

@Almondjoy:

You have been throwing unnecessary stones all morning; again, please comport yourself as a lady.
It is very unpleasant to disrespect or pick a fight with a chick.

Please, focus more on the topics and have some self respect!