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Straight Talk ***************************************************** April 8, 2008 ***************************************************** An Open Letter to Obama’s PastorRev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. Dear Rev. Wright, Your most famous parishioner, Sen. Barack Obama, has spoken very eloquently about the need for a “new conversation” about race in America. He talked candidly and constructively about the anger many black Americans feel over the injustices you and your forebears endured. He also acknowledged the anger many whites feel for some actions and accusations we resent. I want to accept Sen. Obama’s invitation for that new conversation. I hope to do so in the same constructive spirit he demonstrated in his own speech. Although I know my own feelings and experiences are far from unique, in this letter I won’t profess to speak for anyone except myself. First, a little bit about me and my family. Both of my parents were the children of immigrants – from England, on my father’s side, and from Ireland on my mother’s. Unlike your forebears, they came here by choice. But like your ancestors, they arrived here with little more than the clothes on their back. None of my relatives, as far back as I can trace my family tree, ever owned a slave. So while I recognize that there is much to regret about the treatment of blacks in the first two centuries of this country’s existence, I don’t feel any personal responsibility for things that happened then. Neither I nor my ancestors had anything to do with them. And frankly, I think it is very unfair to be accused of complicity in such long-ago events. But even if it were true that one of my predecessors, eight or ten generations ago, mistreated one of your ancestors, so what? Does this mean I owe you anything today because of it? I don’t think so. While I resent accusations that I’m somehow to blame – and should make amends – for what happened decades or even centuries ago, nor can I claim any credit for the efforts of so many white Americans to end slavery in this country. This is not the place to debate the origins of the Civil War or the lasting effects of it – good and bad – for both races. But it shouldn’t be necessary to remind you and your supporters of the incredible sacrifices so many whites made to bring freedom to blacks. From the battles between the Blue and Gray 143 years ago to the freedom marches through the South just a generation ago, whites were in the forefront of every effort to improve the lot of their fellow citizens who happened to be born black. Let me also mention the billions … no, the trillions … of dollars this country has spent in an effort to help black Americans. It is the whites you love to lambaste who have paid the taxes and made the donations, so governments and charities could provide clothing and shelter, and meals and schooling, for blacks who otherwise could not afford them. It shouldn’t be necessary to remind you of these things, but apparently it is. While you seem eager to preach about the evils that have been committed by whites against blacks in the past, have you ever acknowledged the great good that so many whites have done for blacks in this country? And not just in this country. Permit me to remind you of our incredible generosity to suffering people of every race around the world. We Americans have been – and continue to be – the most giving, the most caring, and the most generous people on earth. Speaking of offering thanks, let me also be bold enough to suggest that you – and every black in America today – should thank your Creator that you were born in this country and not somewhere else. Even the poorest among you live better than you would in any other country on earth. You have cleaner water, more abundant food, and better medical care than you would anywhere else. In this country, some 40 million black Americans enjoy a prosperity that would have been unimaginable just a few generations ago. You have more material goods – more cars, more TVs, more iPods, more air conditioners, more of a thousand other delights – than most blacks in most of the world even dream of possessing. It was here that many blacks first heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and were introduced to the concept of salvation. Isn’t it time to give thanks for all of this? And for the system that makes it all possible? Now, I’ll grant you, Reverend, life in the United States is far from perfect. Especially in our urban centers, it can be downright horrific. Too many women are raising children without the presence or the support of a husband. Too many girls bear children out of wedlock and then see those children repeat the same ugly cycle of poverty, hopelessness, and despair. It is absolutely appalling that today, more than half of all black teenage girls have a sexually transmitted disease. That the majority of inner-city black males fail to graduate from high school. And that of those who do drop out, most will serve time in jail by the time they are 30. Reverend, these are truly horrifying statistics. No wonder so many of your young parishioners, like their counterparts in other cities, turn to drugs, or alcohol, or crime – or all three. These are just some of the urgent and important issues that I hope we can address as part of a “new conversation” about race. Because I want to assure you that the vast majority of Americans, of every color and creed, care deeply about these problems, too. We desperately want to see more progress being made in solving them. But in this new conversation, Reverend, it is essential that we put an end to “the blame game.” Please don’t tell your parishioners that every difficulty they endure is because of something I or other whites have done to them … or have not done for them. You know that neither is true. If we truly want to work together to make life in America better for all of us, we must put aside such false accusations. We need to remember what Jesus said, when he asked an audience, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” Do you remember the promise our Lord then made? He said, “First cast out the beam from thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote from thy brother’s eye.” It is time for us – for all of us – to reject bigotry, ignorance, and hatred. We need to listen to each other with an open heart. We need to speak with a careful and caring tongue. If we do, I am certain we can work together to build an America that fulfills its promise for all of us. Sincerely yours, Pass It OnIf you agree with much of what I’ve said in this open letter and want to help participate in a “new conversation” about race in this country, let me recommend a couple of things you can do. First, forward this column to others on your email list. Urge them to read it, to reflect on it, and, where they believe it appropriate, to help implement the suggestions it contains. Sadly, there are many members of the “always blame America” crowd in this country. They can be found in every profession. Some are preachers. Others make our laws or teach in our colleges. It’s vitally important that we don’t let their message go unchallenged. But even more important, don’t let their mean-spiritedness poison your own attitude. Finally, do everything you can to remind your children and their children of all the things this country has done right. Help them understand why the freedoms we enjoy, and the prosperity with which we’ve been blessed, have made us both the hope and the envy of the world. Let us do our part to see that our country once again becomes a beacon of hope for people everywhere – including our own inner cities. This Week in History The "help wanted" ad in the newspaper didn't mince words: "Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." Through this and similar advertisements, several hundred riders were recruited for a remarkable venture that began 148 years ago this week. On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express began delivering mail and other vital documents from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The service charged $5 to carry a half-ounce letter across the continent, a price that was later reduced to $1. The logistics were impressive. Relay stations - 190 in all - were established an average of 10 miles apart across the West. Ten miles is the most a horse can gallop without pause. Riders, who could not weigh more than 125 pounds, were permitted 20 pounds of personal gear (most of it water, plus a rifle and pistol), and carried 20 pounds of mail. The riders raced all-out to the next station, changed mounts on the run, and continued on for nine more stations, or another 90 miles. It took nearly a hundred horses and a dozen riders to cover the 1966 miles from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. But with the advent of the Pony Express, mail delivery that previously took 25 days by stagecoach (and prior to that, nearly six months by ship) took just 10 days. A mere 19 months after the Pony Express began, it ceased to exist. It was forced out of business when telegraph wires linked California with the East. As a result, messages could be transmitted for pennies instead of dollars and arrive in minutes instead of days. The Pony Express name and facilities were sold to Wells Fargo, a bank that used the symbol for most of the next century. In the 19 months that it existed, the Pony Express suffered the loss of only one rider and one mail pouch. The achievements of those incredibly brave riders became a legendary part of the settlement of the West. Until next time, keep some powder dry. Chip Wood *************************************************
Straight Talk is a weekly commentary written by Chip Wood.
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