After hearing Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day sermon at Howard University’s chapel services, I clearly understood why certain forces in this country don’t want him within 1,000 miles of the Obamas as long as they are in the White House.

In a spiritual-based sermon, Rev. Wright inspired, informed and educated the overflow of 1,500-plus people in attendance about what should be the true focus of the King birthday celebration.

‘Seduced or reduced?’

"Sometimes I wonder which is worse – seeing people seduced by sound bytes or seeing a ministry reduced to sound bytes," he said. The sound bytes to which he was referring were "I Have A Dream" from the March on Washington and "I’ve Been to the Mountain Top" from Dr. King’s final speech in Memphis.

What is too often ignored or marginalized, said Rev. Wright, is that the correct names for the march was "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." It reflected Dr. King’s strong commitment to the cause of economic justice.

So did his trip to Memphis. Dr. King went there, noted Rev. Wright, "to show support for the city’s Black garbage men who at the time was being paid $1.04 an hour." Both of these events, Rev. Wright continued, were not theological actions, but sociological ones designed to help the poor and disadvantaged.

"There is ... a war going on against the poor," he insisted, a war conducted by what he called the proponents of "casino capitalism."

Four ‘C’s

In order to effectively challenge those forces, Rev. Wright said those committed to economic justice should arm themselves with clarity (to clearly see the issues at hand), cooperation (among those who believe in the need for economic justice), concentration (with which to focus on the task at hand), and communication (to spread the truth about Dr. King’s determined and passionate dedication to the concept of economic and social justice.)

Throughout his sermon, Rev. Wright repeatedly said, "Strange things happen with the passing of time, some of them by accident, some by design."

It is obvious he believes that the misinformation about and neglect of the true economic justice aspects of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the trip to Memphis are strange things happening by design.

Contact A. Peter Bailey at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 202-716-4560.