Last week, Rev. Jeremiah Wright broke his silence. After Sen. Barack Obama delivered an historic speech on March 18 that addressed this country’s difficulties with the issue of race, the distraction caused by the media’s repeated airing of segments of an old Wright sermon appeared to have finally become a thing of the past. In Obama’s quest to secure the nod to be the Democratic party presidential nominee, he had addressed the Wright matter with boldness and clarity. For the most part, the issue was dead.

But it was resurrected April 25 as part of a Jeremiah Wright Reclamation Tour that began with a TV interview with PBS’ Bill Moyers, a speech at an NAACP dinner in Detroit and culminated with a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. In the interview with Moyers, Wright was impressive. He came across as a learned theologian with a demeanor that supported his calm responses to the pointed Moyers’ questions in a way that diffused many of the previous images reflected in the incendiary image/sound bites. Wright should have ended his public relations campaign there. But he didn’t. His Detroit speech contained sparks that reminded people of the image/sound bites that got him in trouble in the first place. But such did not compare with his performance on April 28 at the Press Club.

Although his speech was educational and often insightful, the question-and-answer session that followed was, by all accounts, a disaster. Wright chose to use that opportunity to torment his tormentors by using an approach which was glib, belittling and condescending to some of the questioners—as if they were in Sunday school. We understand he had been coached on what to expect yet he seemed caught up in the moment, enjoying the spotlight too much to care how his performance would impact Barack Obama.

Senator Barack Obama should be fairly judged on his own actions instead of those that unfortunately may now be more easily gleaned from the action on April 28 of his former pastor. Wright’s action was simply unnecessary.

Wright would lead us to believe that any attack on him is an attack on the Black Church. This is wrong! The Black Church is far more diverse than his antics would suggest. However, we are concerned about how many in our community will interpret his performance as a justification for not voting and thus segmenting what, up to now, has been viewed as an unprecedented national coalescence of the Black political vote. Let there be no wedge in our community. The choices are not either/or between Obama and Wright. Only Obama is seeking office. Whether we embrace Wright or denounce him, he stands or falls independent of the first African-American poised to be nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate.

We have come too far to step back to our old inactive ways. Let this unpleasant Wright experience pass into history as an unfortunate bump on the road to a far greater achievement of “change” for our community and this country.

(Reprinted from the Afro American.)