True Colors

May 3, 2008 Rev. Clara T. Mills The recent critical incident on the part of The Reverend Jeremiah Wright reminds me of the metaphor “crabs in a barrel” used by many of the adult mentors surrounding me in my earlier life, in reference to sabotaging behavior within the African American community.   I found the phrase extremely humorous and after first hearing it went on a juvenile academic search to understand the full meaning of this phrase. I discovered that crabs when caught, are placed in some kind of container (often a barrel of some sort), and that when one crab attempts to climb out of the barrel, the other crabs surround it, working effortlessly to prevent that crab from leaving the group. While I am not at all surprised by the Rev. Wright’s paranoid and divisive words recently, I am taken aback that he would not understand the consequences of his words on the campaign of Senator Obama. Perhaps he did understand the consequence and yet, continues to be so preoccupied with his own image that there was no room in his thinking for the result of his words on the campaign of the first viable African American Presidential candidate in the history of this nation. I am reminded of my extreme discomfort upon learning that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was Senator Obama’s pastor. Tucked away in the back pages of some newspaper was this information. My heart sank with this knowledge because I have professionally viewed Rev. Wright, as more driven by anger for white America and a victim mentally than by the ideals and values of many within the African American community, who have also experienced the debilitating humiliating effects of racism, and yet do not view the world as evil, but “a masterpiece in process.” Shortly after writing the initial article about Wright and Obama, I was forwarded an email in which Rev. Wright was hailed as a patriotic American who had served his country in the military. Of course, this article was forwarded from within the African American community to defend someone who is admired. Again, the duplicity surfaces because those same individuals would not hold up the record of the founding fathers of this country in defense of their support of American slavery. Certainly, The Rev. Wright is entitled to his opinion but he does not speak for me or for countless others within the African American community. And from all appearances, he does not speak for Senator Barack Obama as well. It is time for Senator Obama to move above and beyond his loyalty to an individual who will continue to undermine his credibility, and draw a clear line of separation between himself and The Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I, for one, will watch very carefully to see how Obama responds to The Rev. Wright and others like him. If Obama is truly the person who can bridge the huge divide within this great country, and be a healing reconciling presence, he must unequivocally demonstrate that The Rev, Jeremiah Wright, and others like him, are not allies. Some are arguing that The Rev. Wright represents Black America and that the media’s adverse response to The Rev. Wright’s message is an indication of the persistent divide between blacks and whites in America. I contend that this is not a black and white issue but rather a philosophical issue. The Rev. Wright has enjoyed a position of privilege within the religious community and had been given platforms to define what it means to be an African American of value in America. He is not unlike many African American leaders who have determined who is in and who is out in terms of having a voice and a place within the African American leadership within this country. I continue to believe that Senator Barack Obama is the “man for this hour” in terms of America’s political future. He must take the courageous step to define where his true loyalties are. His commitment must be to America, not black America or white America; not yellow or brown America; not straight or gay America; not rich America or poor America, but the United States of America.