The Moment
Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, and the Firestorm at Trinity United Church of Christ
By (author) Carl A. Grant, Shelby J. Grant
Not available to order
Publication date:
26 October 2012Length of book:
196 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442219991
In 2008 a media firestorm erupted when snippets of Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s sermons were picked up by media outlets around the world. At that time presidential candidate Barack Obama was a member of Wright’s church, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Wright’s words were frequently used to question the patriotism of Obama. The scrutiny over Obama and Wright’s relationship made Trinity UCC a flashpoint in the 2008 campaign.
The Moment tells the inside story of Trinity UCC during this time of turmoil. Carl and Shelby Grant describe “the Moment” as it unfolded, from Wright’s first appearances in the media to Obama’s resignation from Trinity Church. They also provide helpful background information, including general history of the black church, African American immigration to Chicago, and black politics in the Windy City. In this context, the voices of Trinity UCC members come alive to show the impact of “the Moment” within and beyond the presidential election, illustrating the thorny intersections of religion, race, politics, and the media in the United States.
The Moment tells the inside story of Trinity UCC during this time of turmoil. Carl and Shelby Grant describe “the Moment” as it unfolded, from Wright’s first appearances in the media to Obama’s resignation from Trinity Church. They also provide helpful background information, including general history of the black church, African American immigration to Chicago, and black politics in the Windy City. In this context, the voices of Trinity UCC members come alive to show the impact of “the Moment” within and beyond the presidential election, illustrating the thorny intersections of religion, race, politics, and the media in the United States.
This narrative speaks to the lives and souls of a Black community and its most powerful institution—the Black church. Grant and Grant provide a history ignored by the media, and in doing so, reveal the story that needed to be told. Through the voices of the Trinitarians, Grant and Grant reveal a belief that the ‘media firestorm’ was larger than the Wright and Obama relationship. There were those that believed they were witnessing an attack by the white power structure on their most essential and sacred institution. The book may move us closer to having that conversation about a post-racial society—such a conversation is clearly well overdue.