Authors’ Note
Introduction
Prologue
1: Back to The Moment
2: Race, Migration, and Politics in the Windy City
3: The African American church in Chicago
4: Trinity United Church of Christ
5: The Unheard Voices of Trinity Church Speak
Epilogue
Appendix: Interview Questions
Notes
Carl A. Grant is the Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Education and
former chair of the Afro American Studies Department at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of numerous books
and a widely regarded scholar of multicultural and social justice
education. The Multicultural Research Award from the National
Association of Multicultural Education is named in his honor.
Shelby J. Grant is a founding member of Trinity United Church of
Christ in Chicago. He is a former Chicago Public School teacher and
principal. He holds an M.A in History, an M.A. in School
Administration and Supervision, and an M.A. in Counseling and
Guidance (with distinction) from De Paul University.
In 2008, the media broadcast snippets from the sermons of the
Reverend Jeremiah Wright, pastor of the church Barack Obama had
attended for many years, in which he was heard to say “God damn
America” and appeared to suggest the United States had brought the
attacks of 9/11 on itself. The ensuing furor resulted in Obama
publicly leaving Trinity Church, a move many believe saved his
presidential candidacy. Messrs. Grant recount the media frenzy,
question the adequacy and forthrightness of its coverage, and
adjure the reader to go beyond the sound bites and listen to the
complete sermons. They trace the historical development of African
American churches—places that nurture dreams of freedom and
equality for marginalized communities—and highlight the preacher’s
role, inflammatory at times, in demanding justice. Finally, they
allow members of Trinity’s congregation to share their views on the
controversy, Reverend Wright, and Obama’s decision to leave. This
is a worthwhile book simply because it presents a side of the
story—more complicated than it might seem—many have likely not yet
heard.
*Booklist*
While the world was hearing about Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his
potential spiritual and perhaps political influence on then
presidential candidate Barack Obama, the voices of Rev. Wright's
parishioners were silent. They have found their voices in The
Moment with the help of Carl and Shelby Grant. For those who
wondered about the parishioners of Trinity UCC church, wonder no
more. A must-read for the curious and those who want to know more
than the media presentation regarding this moment.
*Percy Bates, University of Michigan*
By placing the story of Barack Obama and the Trinity Church within
the histories of Black enslavement, migration and community
development, the authors do a superb job of unraveling the rich
layers of 'the moment' with a keen analysis of the enduring and
contentious relationship between African American communities and
US racial ideology.
*Joy L. Lei, Chief Diversity and Inclusivity Officer, University of
La Verne*
The spectacle that was made of Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama in
2008 reveals far more about ourselves than about those two
individuals. Drawing on history, media, and the voices of Trinity
Church members, Carl and Shelby Grant paint a stunning and
troubling picture that historicizes Black churches, city politics,
and community formations to help us understand the insidious nature
of racial politics in the United States today. This book names The
Moment in ways that forever change our lenses for doing so.
*Kevin Kumashiro, dean,University of San Francisco School of
Education, author of "Bad Teacher!: How Blaming Teachers Distorts
the Bigger Picture"*
This volume opens the door to a wealth of insights related to a
form of Black church life, politics, and the lived experiences of
Chicago’s South Siders. The examination of the thoughts and
perspectives of Trinity’s congregants is timely in light of the
2012 presidential election and important as a future guidepost for
generations to come.
*William F. Tate IV, Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University
Professor in Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St.
Louis*
The Moment powerfully documents an often forgotten aspect of racial
politics in the U.S.—the voices of the community. Grant and Grant
offer a stunning counter narrative of the confluence of race,
theology, class, ideology, history and media within the 2008
ascendancy of Barack Obama.
*Anthony Brown, University of Texas at Austin*
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.
*Beverly M. Gordon, The Ohio State University*
Revives a hot controversy during the 2008 presidential election.
After relating the story of the 2008 political crisis over the
fiery preacher's words and Obama's leaving the church (and the
intense media coverage), the authors stand back to provide some
context of Black migration north and the role of churches in that
population.
*Communication Booknotes Quarterly*
At a critical juncture during the 2008 primary elections, in which
then-Senator Barack Obama emerged as the front-runner for the
Democratic Party, the seemingly unstoppable momentum he had
generated since the Iowa caucus stalled. His former minister, the
formidable Jeremiah Wright, had made a series of controversial
remarks, raising questions about the minister's patriotism. Obama,
the first viable African American presidential candidate, likely
could have ridden out the political firestorm Wright created.
Instead, Obama's handlers encouraged him to deliver a forceful
address that addressed issues of race in the 21st-century US; he
also used the speech to sever his relationship with Wright. Carl
(education, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison) and Shelby (teacher) Grant,
two churchgoers from Wright's congregation, provide many layers of
historical and sociological contexts. They explore the impact of
the Great Migration and the emergence of the black church and
provide interviews with several charter members of Trinity United
Church of Christ. Not surprisingly, they arrive at a much more
nuanced understanding of Wright's role in liberation theology and
Chicago's black church. The book's most powerful and enduring
lesson will be to not place great reliance on any one sound bite.
Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates, graduates, researchers
*Choice Reviews*
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