By Brandon Whitney

Obama’s Pastor gave a speech in which he said “God Damn America”.  Now this statement was in a context where it kind of made sense and I think I even understand where he was coming from, but the timing was terrible.  The older generations of African Americans are a collection of physical and political martyrs.  They are not strategic guerrilla fighters but rather kamikaze pilots without generals to temper their fanaticism.

I understand that for ministers, the words they speak are supposed to be inspired by the Sprit of God and they focus on heavenly rather than worldly concerns.  Because of this I will not attempt to guess the motivation of Obama’s pastor when he uttered such divisive words under such extreme circumstances as the ones under which we live.  However, I will say, that such bold proclamations that excite the masses of African Americans but have a counterproductive effect on the efforts to bring about progress for the people are ones that I hope are not divinely inspired.  I hope this because I hope, like our honorable ancestors the slaves hoped, that the great all knowing being that created us wants us to be free and live lives of opportunity, and that stating “God Damn America” during a hotly contested primary which will affect the future of our people and nation will not help us do that.

Reverend Wright’s heart is likely in the right place.  But good intentions are meaningless.  Actions are what matter, and his preaching to the choir is unlikely to save any young souls stuck in the justice system or the poorly funded education system who need leaders like Barack to overhaul our nation’s government. 

Brandon is the creator of Homelandcolors.blogspot.com a blog that focuses on issues that affect the African American community. He is also a frequent guest on News and Notes’ Blogger Roundtable. Brandon has political experience as an outreach director for the Democratic party and is passionate about being a positive force in his community.