Posted on 11/09/2008 5:34:03 PM PST by americanophile
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in his first public speech after the election of President-elect Barack Obama, stuck to noncontroversial topics Friday as he addressed 1,200 Northwestern University students as well as members of his congregation at Northwestern University in Evanston.
The retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ had been invited by the For Members Only organization, a black student group.
FMO member Ayanna Berry said it was to make up for the "unjust action" the university took in rescinding an invitation to Wright to receive an honorary degree earlier this year.
Wright led off his remarks by criticizing the media.
In a recent interview with Fox News, he said he'd been asked if he thought the media had treated him unfairly. His response, he said, was, "Ray Charles could see that."
He said he was happy to be at Northwestern three days after "an incredibly powerful, world-changing, history-making event, the election of Barack Obama."
He added that Obama was "a man whom I have admired for 20 years, and whose candidacy I have supported every day, ever since he told me he would run."
He can eat pig feces and die.
Since Billy Graham is no longer the unofficial pastor to presidents, will Jeremiah Wright take his place?
Fair treatment would have meant the media being much more critical of him
“———had been invited by the For Members Only organization, a black student group”
And this type of group is okay ???? God,what a country
this has become.
Why does this nasty, phony clown get to speak at major universities? He’s a huckster who’s promoted by left-wingers. That answers my question.
This mental patient has a Bat Phone to the Oval Office. Thanks alot America.
Somethin’ else, isn’t it?
The HillaryClintonForum.net used to welcome everybody except the BO trolls. Now that the election is over they are welcoming everybody. Come help us put these people in their places!
http://www.hillaryclintonforum.net/discussion/
Amazing that such a hatemonger is invited to speak at a university.
But Harvard said no to Ronald Reagan.
Heaven help us.
Wright and his 1,200 university fans can get lost.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., speaks to packed Cahn Auditorium
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., former pastor of President-elect Barack Obama, encouraged a packed Cahn Auditorium to pursue a global perspective and acknowledge their culture in Northwestern's first State of the Black Union address Friday night.
"There's a rupture in generational consciousness and generational understanding," Wright said. "We need to first teach our students, our children to teach their own stories and stop depending on others to tell their own stories."
Wright was invited to speak by For Members Only, NU's black student alliance, after NU rescinded an invitation for Wright to receive an honorary degree at commencement last spring. The retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago was placed in the national spotlight last March over controversial remarks . In the question-and-answer portion of the speech, Wright called NU's decision "painful."
More than 900 people, including members of Wright's church, attended Friday, said Angela Ellington, FMO's vice chair of external relations. Although NU students had an opportunity to reserve tickets at the Norris Box Office, community members started lining up outside the auditorium as early as 4 p.m. in hopes of acquiring a ticket. Many were unsuccessful, though those still remaining after Wright arrived were admitted to fill the leftover seats.
Among the attendees was University of Illinois-Chicago Prof. William Ayers, the former Weather Underground leader, whose relationship with Obama was also controversial during the campaign.
"Both Rev. Wright and I were brought up as cartoon characters in this campaign because disinformation and dishonest news," Ayers said. "I did not suffer as much as he did, but we both got out of it with a certain amount of dignity."
Ayers in audience for Wright's speech
For months of the presidential campaign, two controversial figures dogged President-elect Barack Obama: the candidate's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., and his Hyde Park neighbor, 1960s radical William Ayers.
And for a few hours Friday night, the two were together in a venue other than a negative campaign ad: Cahn Auditorium at Northwestern.
Wright gave the keynote speech and answered questions at For Members Only's "State of the Black Union" event.
Ayers was in the audience.
FMO had invited Wright to speak after President Henry Bienen decided to rescind an offer of an honorary degree in the wake of controversy last spring over Wright's remarks in sermons at his church, Trinity United Church of Christ.
Wright's speech Friday stayed away from the contentious issues of the 2008 campaign and touched only briefly on Obama's election.
Instead, he spoke about the history of historically black colleges and universities, the black liberation movement of the 1960s and the importance of students bringing their education back to improve the black community. Wright's hourlong talk drew applause and laughter in Cahn.
But during the question-and-answer session, Wright said Bienen's decision to rescind the degree was "painful," coming in the middle of a week when Wright's remarks were played endlessly on the news.
Saying his family was "getting lynched" by the media, Wright called on the audience to correct any misinformation they might hear about him.
"Never in the history of this country has there been a demonization of a person like I've been demonized," Wright said.
Ayers, in a similar position during the campaign, does not know Wright well. But the former Weather Underground leader said he felt both he and Wright had been badly characterized during the campaign, but they had survived with their dignity intact.
Gee...wonder if he bothered to be truthful....that the "black colleges and universities" were STARTED BY WHITES?????
It's not really about truth, is it? It's about Wright. With leftists it's always "Me, me, me!"
Is that similar to La Raza?
G*d D@mn the media!
I cannot believe this was not used to redefine Obama. Now, apparently, Wright and Ayers are attending the same events, even though he was just a guy in the neighborhood.
Although at times, I felt like McCain was doing alright this fall, I am now convinced I will never waste a dollar or minute of my time again if the party nominates wishy washy middle of the roaders who are more interested in getting along with the other side and media. They are all gunning for us.
Rev Wright re-emerges and immediately puts the press on trial, a media-celebrity, while McCain’s GOP elitists grovels for acceptance, supinely obliging the press’ ongoing search & destroy mission where Sarah Palin is concerned. ( I was a democrat once too.)
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