You can play the McCarthy and “red scare” cards all you want, but do you realize how wealthy Cosby and Barkely are? Poverty still plays a huge role in this situation and the fact is that the African-American population has a higher percentage of people in poverty than whites.

Are you stupid? As somebody who has lived in six major cities in the U.S. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s no “red scare” to be had. If you’re white, just take a walk through the local African American neighborhoods of any major metro area and you will be targeted because your race… but of course it’s not a hate crime because white people don’t count.

I was born in the early 70’s an am from a poor white working class neighborhood. Somehow in that neighborhood it was not cool to deal drugs on the street corner or to put holes in people with your “9″. I’ve been derailed by affirmative action on at least three occasions (sorry kid, we know you’re poor and fourteen but you’re the wrong color). Thankfully I joined the military and have since prospered as a civilian. The short version: sorry guys, Jim Crow laws weren’t my baby and I’m not paying for the aftermath of them. Deal with it.

My point: the African American community needs to quit glorifying violence, start valuing hard work, and discard the feelings of entitlement. If they think they’re frustrated and marginalized now, just wait until the Latinos start asserting themselves in earnest. And no, the Latinos do not vote lock step with African Americans.

The short version: if Hillary gets the nod, I’ll vote for her. Up until about three weeks ago I would have voted for Obama in the general election.. this is no longer the case. If he wins the nomination I’ll vote for McCain (while barfing in my mouth just a little). By not preemptively distancing himself from his racist reverend he torpedoed his chances with many of us in the white male camp. And don’t even get me started on his wife.

someone who seems to genuinely want to inspire and not divide.

Is that why he stayed in a church for 20 years listening to man who genuinely hates America and believes the “white man” is consciously oppressing blacks? Is that why he considers this man a close spiritual adviser? Because he wants to unite us?

That closet Muslim should go back to where he came from. (That last line was entirely sarcastic.)

This nation could do far, far worse than Obama. I do hope America will see through the verbal chaff of the idiotic Sean Hannities of the world, and listen to what this man has to say. It is rare to see someone like this come along on the national stage, someone who seems to genuinely want to inspire and not divide.

Whether he gets nominated or not, elected or not, what he said today needs to be heard, and needs to be understood. I want to live long enough to live in a nation where when my very dear friend is called a “nigger spic” by her rotten husband’s racist family because she is Cuban, that it is a cause of near unanimous and heartfelt revulsion and incomprehension among 99.9% of this country. And I want to live long enough so that when the next Obama comes along, he is simply “the candidate” and not “the black candidate” any more than Hillary Clinton is “the white candidate”. A man can dream, I suppose.

If we are using that logic, then I am just like Joseph P. Franklin. Former KKK and neo-Nazi member and serial killer. He had over 15 murders linked to him. He shot and wounded Larry Flynt.

WTF?

Although I support Obama, he has a whole lot more to overcome than what his inflammatory pastor said.

I have to admit I agree with a lot of what he says.

But, my family made it clear to me how important an education was. I studied, and they paid attention to what I studied

L Lindsey,

I think this statement is the key. You and anyone else, no matter their race who defies odds should be commended. But, as a teacher, I see the cycle of poverty all of the time. Many of my high school students have 30 year-old parents who work a couple of jobs and at best, stress education but don’t have the time or the resources to engage with their children. I’m not saying it’s an excuse, I’m just saying it’s logical. And when our government has policies that don’t necessarily recognize this fact (keep in mind that most of the programs to help minorities are privately run), I don’t think it’s a stretch to say some of the things the Reverend has said.

You can encourage people to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” all you want, but to ignore the fact that race and class have played a role with the poor today, is to make the assumption that skin color, by itself, has something to do with poverty.

I am an African-American female who attended Trinity United Church of Christ. I am writing to offer a perspective on this situation that I hope will provide some insight.

Thanks for your post, RitaJ. I appreciate getting some perspective on this. It’s too bad that some of Wright’s other sound bites – about personal responsibility and community development – aren’t getting publicized, but then those aren’t sensational enough, I suppose.

I think the comments that have been publicized recently are disturbing, but I had heard about some of the Rev’s polarizing statements and ideas a long time ago, when first researching Obama. He surely must have realized that he would have to distance himself from these ideas.

But, my family made it clear to me how important an education was. I studied, and they paid attention to what I studied. When I got to high school I took the tougher classes. I could have done what a lot of my female friends did, take Home Ec, Typing, and the basic classes, then get pregnant or go to VoTech and learn how to style hair or nursing skills (not saying those aren’t valuable professions, but they were the easy way out at my school).

When I applied for colleges, I discovered that I would have been eligible for a lot more scholarships if I’d been a minority. Even though I’d studied hard, my SAT scores weren’t high enough to get me into the colleges my parents wanted me to attend. I had two choices: attend the local university (which had a pretty good reputation) or join the military. I made my choice.

With all the programs out there to help minorities get higher educations, you really have to put the blame on minority families and communities. The opportunities are there, but they aren’t being taken advantage of. They need to quit focusing on being victims and “being owed”, and instead, focus on getting ahead and taking advantage of all the special privileges they have available.

If I’ve accomplished what I have after starting out with so little, then they can, too.