When video clips of Barack Obama's church pastor, Rev Jeremiah Wright surfaced recently with angry rhetoric about whites, and speeches in which he curses America, it would have been an easy thing for Obama to distance himself politically from his church leader. While unequivocally renouncing his words, Obama could not in good conscience disavow himself from a continued association with his soon-to-be former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ who married him and inspired his faith. However, Obama's rejection of his pastor's words was not enough and his stance soon began to have a serious effect on his poll ratings. He quickly realised he would have to give a fuller explanation of his position, highlighting issues of race & patriotism as seen from a black point of view.
The only trouble is that politics and the media don't do shades of grey. It prefers black & white. Nuance is easily missed even in these days of vast swathes of column inches & 24 hour media commentary. But just a few days ago, Obama pulled out his pen and wrote the speech of his campaign, taking a real risk in trusting voters to listen carefully.
The speech appears to have been very well received, evoking comparisons with Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and being called one of the bravest and most eloquent speeches on race given by an American politician. You can listen to it below.
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