Newsmaker Q&A: Annette John-Hall on Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Annette John-Hall’s column in the Inquirer this morning on the political uproar set in motion by the release of snippets of sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright offers a picture of the man and his message that’s quite different from what’s been reported. Informed by her own faith and bolstered by listening to complete recordings of the sermons, the piece is both a heartfelt plea for understanding and a sharp rebuke to those who would judge by sound bites. John-Hall discussed the column this afternoon with Philadelphia magazine intern Luke Sirinides.
DAILY EXAMINER: I know many readers have seen or read transcripts of the clips, but can you offer specific examples of how things Rev. Wright has said have been distorted, or which clips were especially egregious?
ANNETTE JOHN-HALL: Like Jesse Jackson said, “text without context is pretext.” That is to say, any words taken out of context can be interpreted any way. And with this endless spool of sound bytes, I can easily see why Wright is being called unpatriotic. I’m thinking of the “chickens coming home to roost” comment, and “God damn America.” The truth is, a lot of African-Americans feel that way. And that’s not to excuse it, but the sentiment goes back to even the civil rights movement when Nina Simone wrote a song called “Mississippi God Damn” in reaction to the injustices going on at that time. And Wright was just riffing off that theme. But if you are an African-American who grew up in the era of Jim Crow and experienced discrimination, you would have some justification — or at least explanation — for feeling some of the things Wright verbalized.
Annette John-Hall’s column in the Inquirer this morning on the political uproar set in motion by the release of snippets of sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright offers a picture of the man and his message that’s quite different from what’s been reported. Informed by her own faith and bolstered by listening to complete recordings of the sermons, the piece is both a heartfelt plea for understanding and a sharp rebuke to those who would judge by sound bites. John-Hall discussed the column this afternoon with Philadelphia magazine intern Luke Sirinides.
DAILY EXAMINER: I know many readers have seen or read transcripts of the clips, but can you offer specific examples of how things Rev. Wright has said have been distorted, or which clips were especially egregious?
ANNETTE JOHN-HALL: Like Jesse Jackson said, “text without context is pretext.” That is to say, any words taken out of context can be interpreted any way. And with this endless spool of sound bytes, I can easily see why Wright is being called unpatriotic. I’m thinking of the “chickens coming home to roost” comment, and “God damn America.” The truth is, a lot of African-Americans feel that way. And that’s not to excuse it, but the sentiment goes back to even the civil rights movement when Nina Simone wrote a song called “Mississippi God Damn” in reaction to the injustices going on at that time. And Wright was just riffing off that theme. But if you are an African-American who grew up in the era of Jim Crow and experienced discrimination, you would have some justification — or at least explanation — for feeling some of the things Wright verbalized.
