The Reverend Dr.
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
 |
Jeremiah A.
Wright, Jr. (born September 22, 1941) is a former pastor of the
Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC), a megachurch in Chicago,
Illinois with around 10,000 members. In early 2008, Wright
retired after 36 years as the pastor of his congregation.
Following retirement, Wright's beliefs and manner of preaching
were scrutinized when segments from his sermons were publicized
in connection with presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama
addressed the matter in his "A More Perfect Union" speech. To
lay his actual positions on various social issues before the
nation, Rev.Wright gave a speech before the NAACP on April 27th,
2008, wherein he stressed that he was not "divisive", but
"descriptive", and that the Black church experience, like the
Black culture was "different" not "deficient".
Personal life
Wright was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a
racially mixed section called Germantown. His parents are
Jeremiah Wright, Sr., a Baptist minister who pastored Grace
Baptist Church in Germantown, Philadelphia from 1938 to 1980,
and Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright, a school teacher who was
the first black to teach an academic subject at Roosevelt Junior
High. She went on to be the first black person to teach at
Germantown High and Philadelphia High School, where she became
the school's first black vice principal for girls.
Wright graduated from the Central High School of Philadelphia in
1959, among the best schools in the area at the time. At the
time, the school was around 90% white. The 211th class yearbook
described Wright as a respected member of the class. "Always
ready with a kind word, Jerry is one of the most congenial
members of the 211,” the yearbook said. “His record in Central
is a model for lower class [younger] members to emulate."
His wife is Ramah Reed Wright, and he has four daughters, Janet
Marie Moore, Jeri Lynne Wright, Nikol D. Reed and Jamila Nandi
Wright, and one son, Nathan D. Reed.
Education and military service
From 1959 to 1961, Wright attended Virginia Union
University, in Richmond. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's
1961 challenge to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but
what you can do for your country," Wright gave up his student
deferment, left college and joined the United States Marine
Corps and became part of the 2nd Marine Division with the rank
of private first class. In 1963, after two years of service,
Wright then transferred to the United States Navy and entered
the Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center,
where he graduated as valedictorian. Having excelled in corpsman
school, Wright was then trained as a cardiopulmonary technician
at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where
he graduated as salutatorian. Wright was assigned as part of the
medical team charged with care of President Lyndon B. Johnson
(see photo of Wright caring for Johnson after his 1966 surgery).
Before leaving the position in 1967, the White House awarded
Wright three letters of commendation.
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Jeremiah Wright
(second from right), in 1966, as a U.S. Navy Hospital
Corpsman. He is tending to President Lyndon Johnson, for
which he was commended (see letter superimposed on
photo).
Wright in Marine
Corp boot camp graduation photo, 1961. |
In 1967 Wright
enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he
earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master’s degree in
English in 1969. He also earned a master's degree from the
University of Chicago Divinity School. Wright holds a Doctor of
Ministry degree (1990) from the United Theological Seminary in
Dayton, Ohio, where he studied under Samuel DeWitt Proctor, a
mentor to Martin Luther King.
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Wright in 1973,
shortly after arriving at Trinity United Church of
Christ. |
Career as
minister and honors
Wright became pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ,
Chicago on March 1, 1972, at a time when its membership was only
87 members. In March 2008, Trinity United Church of Christ is
the largest church in the mostly white United Church of Christ.
The President and General Minister of the United Church of
Christ, John H. Thomas, has stated: “It is critical that all of
us express our gratitude and support to this remarkable
congregation, to Jeremiah A. Wright for his leadership over 36
years.” Thomas, who is a member of the Pilgrim Congregational
United Church of Christ in Cleveland, has also preached and
worshipped at Trinity United Church of Christ (most recently on
March 2, 2008).
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Jeremiah Wright (center left), in 1998, greeting
President Bill Clinton during a
prayer breakfast at the White House. |
Trinity and
Wright were profiled by correspondent Roger Wilkins in Sherry
Jones' documentary "Keeping the Faith" broadcast as the June 16,
1987 episode of the PBS series Frontline with Judy Woodruff.
Wright, who began the "Ministers in Training" ("M.I.T.") program
at Trinity United Church of Christ, has been a national leader
in promoting theological education and the preparation of
seminarians for the African-American church. The church's
mission statement is based upon systematized Black liberation
theology that started with the works of James Hal Cone.
Wright has been a professor at Chicago Theological Seminary,
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and other educational
institutions. Wright has served on the Board of Trustees of
Virginia Union University, Chicago Theological Seminary and City
Colleges of Chicago. He has also served on the Board Directors
of Evangelical Health Systems, the Black Theology Project, the
Center for New Horizons and the Malcom X School of Nursing, and
on boards and committees of other religious and civic
organizations.
Wright has received a Rockefeller Fellowship and seven honorary
doctorate degrees, including from Colgate University, Valparaiso
University, United Theological Seminary and Chicago Theological
Seminary. Wright was named one of Ebony magazine's top fifteen
preachers. He was also awarded the first Carver Medal by Simpson
College in January 2008, to recognize Wright as "an outstanding
individual whose life exemplifies the commitment and vision of
the service of George Washington Carver".
Relationship with Barack Obama
Barack Obama, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for
President, first met Wright and joined his church in the 1980s,
while he was working as a community organizer in Chicago before
attending Harvard Law School. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were
later married by Wright, and both their children were baptized
by him. The title of Obama's memoir, The Audacity of Hope, was
inspired by one of Wright's sermons and he credits Wright with
strengthening his faith.
The public invocation before Obama's presidential announcement
was scheduled to be given by Wright, but Obama withdrew the
invitation the night before the event. Wright wrote a rebuttal
letter to the editor disputing the characterization of the
account as reported in The New York Times article.
In late 2007, Wright was appointed to Barack Obama's African
American Religious Leadership Committee, a group of over 170
national black religious leaders who supported Obama's bid for
the Democratic nomination; however, it was announced in March
2008 that Wright was no longer serving as a member of this
group.
From The
Trinity United Church Of Christ Website
Pastor
 |
| Reverend Dr.
Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. |
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,
Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed
his elementary education in that city and then went to Virginia
Union University. After three and a half years at Virginia Union,
Pastor Wright left school and entered the United States Marine
Corps. He transferred from the USMC into the United States Navy
where he served as a cardiopulmonary technician.
After six years in the military,
Pastor Wright transferred to Howard University
where he completed his undergraduate studies and received his first
Master’s Degree. His second Master’s Degree was from the University
of Chicago Divinity School. His Doctorate was received from the
United Theological Seminary under Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor. In
addition to Pastor Wright’s four earned degrees, he
has been the recipient of eight honorary doctorates.
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,
Jr. became Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC)
on March 1, 1972. Within a matter of months he demonstrated an
understanding and deep commitment to help TUCC achieve its motto and
vision. The motto, "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically
Christian", was a phrase coined by his predecessor, the Reverend Dr.
Reuben Sheares, and was officially adopted by the congregation
shortly after Pastor Wright began his ministry.
Since 1972, under Dr.
Wright’s leadership, the membership of Trinity United
Church of Christ grew from 87 members; and currently exceeds 6,000!
The membership continues to grow numerically and spiritually with
large numbers of members tithing, studying in bible classes and
serving in over 70 ministries offered to enhance the Christian
journey.
Dr. Wright has
lectured at seminaries and universities across the United States and
has represented TUCC and The United Church of Christ around the
world. He is recognized as a leading theologian and pastor and has
published four books and numerous articles.
Visit The
Trinity United Church Of Christ Website Here. |
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