We, the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, representing more than 80,000 members and clergy in Georgia, express support for our clergy colleague, the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. Rev. Wright is a renowned religious scholar, nurturing pastor and outstanding preacher. Our friend and fellow minister has been vilified in the national media for practicing the great commission to go ye preach and baptize in my name.

We repudiate the irresponsible and shameful behavior of the national media for replaying and sensationalizing Rev. Wright’s words out of context simply to accommodate a salacious sound byte. Quite frankly African Americans articulate and use language differently than whites by juxtaposing words to paint indelible psychological pictures. For example, in the overplayed sound byte Rev. Wright was not cursing America or its people. Rather he was pointing out historical and modern day incidents of racial intolerance or violence that were both heinous and damnable.

The charges of racism against Rev. Wright are false, as it is doubtful that the United Church of Christ, a white denomination, would have appointed him to pastor one of its churches. For African American clergy, controversy is to be expected as we preach a liberation theology that condemns any effort to persecute human beings.

We applaud the Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, for his strength of character and integrity in refusing to denigrate Pastor Wright. We laud the Senator’s unflinching honesty as well as his leadership and great courage in illuminating the real and painful truth of race in America. Senator Obama boldly placed the issue of race squarely on the table for further discussion and as an impetus to accomplish the kind of change that he has espoused throughout the Democratic presidential campaign.

William P. DeVeaux

Presiding Bishop

Sixth Episcopal District

The African Methodist Episcopal Church