Was Pastor Wright Right?

Much has been made about the "incendiary" language that Sen. Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright used during some of his sermons. His condemnation of America's policies abroad and the racist history of this country are not without merit. What's even more telling is the way that America is reacting to Sen. Obama even though he has unequivocally rejected those things that he felt were inconsistent with his own thoughts and beliefs. It is clear to me that many of those Americans that want to hang Rev. Wrights words around the neck of Obama like so many nooses that have been used to lynch Black men and women in this country merely needed an "excuse" to justify why they could not vote for an African American for president. Where was the outrage when Ronald Reagan declared that "...AIDS was God's punishment" or when Pat Robertson stated that Katrina was God's retribution for the sin in New Orleans. Republicans are not held to task for visiting Bob Jones University that had a long policy of forbidding interracial dating. The same party that continues to embrace the legacy of Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond, both had a history of being open racist and staunch segregationist.

What America really doesn't like is the fact that Barak Obama refused to turn his back on a man and a church that has served the Black community in ways that far outweigh the impact of some misguided words. The fact that this man will not bow down to those that have no intention of supporting him regardless of what he says or does makes him "uppity" in a country where Black men should know their place. In my opinion, the backlash that is directed at Mr. Obama gives legitimacy to many of the sentiments that were expressed by Pastor Wright. America refuses to come to grips with it's racism and will continue to suffer the consequences.