Obama's former pastor to speak at Unity Group event in Chattanooga

photo Presudent Barack Obama, left, stands next to his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, in 2005. Obama in 2008 denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism.

If you go What: M.L. King Prayer BreakfastSpeaker: The Rev. Jeremiah WrightWhen: 9 a.m. on Jan. 17.Where: Greater Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, 1115 N. Moore RoadAdmission: $25Tickets: Available at Second Missionary Baptist Church, 2305 E. Third St.For more information: call 624-9097

President Barack Obama's former pastor and mentor Dr. Jeremiah Wright confirmed recently that he will speak at the Unity Group's M.L. King celebration prayer breakfast in January.

Wright, retired pastor emeritus of the Chicago-based Trinity United Church of Christ, drew national attention in 2008 when segments of his controversial sermon condemning America for racism, militarism and capitalism hit the media during Obama's first run for president. Obama was a member of the church.

The theme of the 2015 M.L. King celebration is "Focus 2020: Crisis in the community. Where do we go from here?"

Wright will speak in Chattanooga at 9 a.m. Jan. 17 at Tucker Baptist Church. Tickets are $25.

Unity Group member Quenston Coleman said the crisis goes beyond violence. It's economical and spiritual, he said.

Churches are on every corner, but go inside and there aren't too many people there, he said.

The Unity Group will lead this year's M.L. King celebration without founding member the Rev. Paul McDaniel at the helm for the first time.

McDaniel retired from his church, where he pastored for 48 years, this year and retired as chairman of the Unity Group. He founded the group with other black leaders in 1969, and it helped John P. Franklin get elected as the first black city commissioner in 1971.

Longtime Tennessee Department of Children's Services supervisor and former Chattanooga City school board member Sherman Matthews is the new chairman.

"This community is too complacent, too compliant and too accommodating," he said.

"We hear the same thing over and over, but we don't hear people who challenge our thought process," he said when asked why the group chose Wright to speak.

Charlotte S. Williams, pastor of Eastdale Village Community Church, said Wright "speaks of the pain of the black church and how the church soothes the souls of our people."

The Philadelphia-born pastor drew controversy again this year after speaking at a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast in Chicago at which he compared King's having a dream to Obama having a drone, implying that the president follows commands instead of giving them.

According to an online transcript of Wright's controversial 2008 "Confusing God and Government" speech, he said:

"The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent. Think about this. Think about this. For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you've got 5 million blacks that are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you've got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one [Condoleeza] Rice, you've got 1 million in prison ... For every one Tiger Woods, we've got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course. The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent."

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.

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