Black leaders mixed on Wright fallout

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Local black community leaders disagree whether the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright will hurt the campaign of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Kentucky.

Barry Johnson, a professor of music at Kentucky State University, said "this is killing Obama." Johnson is the pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg and supports Obama.

"You've got a lot of empty-headed people out there who will not vote for Obama not based on whether he can end the war, bring down gas prices or make life more pleasant," he said.
"My greatest fear and disappointment is the people of this country won't give him a shot not because of his abilities but because someone on the Internet determined Wright was a racist."

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton recently won the Pennsylvania primary but still lags behind Obama in pledged delegates 1,488 to 1,334 according to the Associated Press. Whoever secures 2,025 delegates will face presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in the November general election.

Indiana and North Carolina hold their presidential primaries today and could be seen as the first test on how the controversy will affect Obama's candidacy. Voters in Kentucky and Oregon cast their ballots on May 20.

At a speech in Philadelphia, Obama said he could never disown Wright, pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ, who had presided over his marriage.

Obama later said his statements were "divisive and destructive" after Wright reiterated his claim that the U.S. government created the AIDS virus to destroy "people of color."

"Based on this Tuskegee experiment and based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything," Wright said.

The experiment led to medical ethics reform after 128 black farmers died during the test because they were denied treatment for syphilis. The purpose of the test was to observe how the disease killed patients.

Wright also said "the chickens came home to roost" when America was attacked by terrorists on 9/11.

He also said God should damn America instead of bless it.

When questioned about his remarks, Wright said reporters and voters have only heard sound bytes instead of listening to his entire sermon.

Johnson, the KSU professor, agreed and said the context of the entire sermon is important.

"In the entire perspective of the sermon, America has done some very negative things but that doesn't mean you're unpatriotic to point that out," Johnson said.

Although he doesn't know him personally, Johnson said Wright is intelligent, educated and articulate.

He had once hoped to bring Wright to his church, but the negative comments have now overshadowed any previous good deeds.

"We're all just kind of crushed by what's happened," Johnson said.

He urged voters to disassociate Obama and Wright, saying the current debate is not related to any of the important issues.

"Jeremiah Wright would not have been the secretary of state if Obama won," Johnson said.

Joe Gershtenson, assistant professor of politics and director of the Kentucky Center for History and Politics at Eastern Kentucky University, said Wright controversy would definitely have an impact on local voters.

"This is certainly the case in Kentucky where "patriotism' is highly valued and some of the things he has said have been construed as unpatriotic," he said. "It also taps into the racial dimensions of the race."

Although other issues will also be discussed, Gershtenson said some voters will continue to focus on Wright's controversial statements.

"While Clinton may not herself harp on the issue, it would not be at all surprising for her supporters to make some efforts to keep it being discussed," said Gershtenson. "Kentucky is obviously a very white state and was already leaning toward Clinton and continued attention to Rev. Wright doesn't help Obama at all."

Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, has not endorsed either Obama or Clinton. However, he said it's unfair to judge Obama on what Wright says or does.

"It's unfair to make someone pay the price for decisions other people make," Graham said.

There are more important issues to discuss, he said, such as the rising cost of tuition and healthcare and the slowing economy.

"We shouldn't get caught up on divisive wedge issues that take away from the true issues," Graham said.

Graham is a life-long member of the St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church, a black liberation theology congregation, and serves on the board of stewards. He said he's had disagreements with the Rev. Robert Strode, and that it's not unusual.

Strode said he's familiar with Wright and has met him at several theological conferences.

"He's a man of God," Strode said.

He said the media and critics focus on Wright's showmanship instead of the content of his message or his intellectual capacity.

Dr. Alvin Seals, an associate professor of sociology at Kentucky State University, said other issues might come up during the campaigns that may over shadow the Wright controversy.

"It may just disappear from the stage of political life," Seals said.

He said it's hard to tell if the controversy will have any impact on voters in Kentucky although it's important to promote racial and religious understanding.

"It needs to be discussed but it need not be the issue of the presidential campaign," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.