Complicit, cowardly, or just plain foolish

I am a simple black man, and I was able to rationally conclude inside of an hour of my exposure to Trinity United Church of Christ (via their website) that the philosophy and likely the body of that church was steeped in hatred/racism.

America was appalled at the words spoken by Jeremiah Wright. What is more shocking is that he serves as the shepherd of a flock and wears the title “Reverend” and is referred to as “Pastor.” Even more troubling is that the so-called “Reverend” Wright…“Pastor” Wright uttered these words from the pulpit, from what might be considered an alter of God; leading his flock toward hatred. The most disturbing aspect of all of this seems to have gone almost completely overlooked:

The flock willingly followed…and came back for more.

Maybe the forces of political correctness (read as “selective racism”) continue to bind us from holding all Americans, regardless of skin color, to an equal standard of accountability; the same forces that prevented opposition against Trinity United’s less overt hatred, the same forces that keep so-called “Reverends” Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson legitimized as leaders within the black community, and the same forces that have previously absolved politicians like Barack Obama as they decry racism external to the black community while turning a blind eye to it internally.

It’s the same old song of hatred that the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died trying to silence. The difference is instead of white faces hidden shamefully behind white hoods, we now see black faces beaming proudly in choir robes. Why did it take such an extreme expression of that hatred for the rest of America to take notice? I didn’t have to attend the church for 20 years. I didn’t need to sit in the pews and hear the venom spewed from the pulpit. I didn’t need the media to constantly flood my home with repugnant images. I didn’t need to be questioned under a spotlight in front of millions of people.

I just opened my eyes (when I was about 10 years old) and saw what was right in front of my face.