The Moment: Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, and the Firestorm at Trinity United Church of Christ

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.