Nicole BrownThe recent death of the Rev. Herbert H. Wright signifies an end to his unique approach on how to secure freedoms and rights for the most vulnerable members of Chattanooga's community. His profound impact on Chattanooga's African-American community and poor during the Civil Rights era is one that should be honored and remembered for its example of how to sacrifice and be brave in the face of immense adversity.
When he arrived in Chattanooga in 1958, he pastored at Phillips Temple CME Church. Wright later organized and served as pastor of Wesley Chapel Christian Community Church. During this time he was awarded a fellowship in continuing education from the Ford Foundation, along with his friend Dr. C.T. Vivian. The fellowship allowed him to take a six-month sabbatical from his church and experience the problems of urban poverty with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago.
This opened his eyes to injustices African-Americans and poor people experienced in other areas of the country. It was here he realized Chattanooga suffered from the same problems.
In the 1960s, Wright organized the community and protested for the rights of others and police brutality. Many people referred to these protests as the "instant picketers." Wright was criticized heavily in the community for inviting African-American militant, Sidney Butler, from Los Angeles to speak at Wesley Chapel Christian Community Church. Wright endured death threats and violent attempts as a message of bowing down to the power struggle.
In fact, in one instance while on the phone and holding his baby, Wright's wife ran in from the kitchen telling him the house was on fire.
The family did not suffer physical harm during the tragic bombing of their home in the Orchard Knob community. He also endured two more attempts on his life as bombs were planted twice in his car. Even after these incidents, Wright continued to advocate nonviolence. He begged for unity in the community.
Wright lived a life of advocating for civil rights and equal opportunities for all Chattanoogans. Wright's contribution to the community included organizing the Action Coordinating Council, which fought for the injustices of African-Americans and poor people. He challenged the political structure of Chattanooga city government, from a city commission to a city council, with the focus of a more equal political representation. Recognizing early the importance of housing and economic development as a resource for poor communities, Wright was also one of the founding members of the 28th Legislative District Community Development Corp.
He received numerous accolades for his work in the community.
In 2013, The Tennessee Human Rights Commission selected Wright as a feature in the documentary titled, "9 United for Equality: Reflections on the Struggle for Civil Rights in Chattanooga."
"I just feel like God created man to be somebody and the least that anybody can do is give some service to somebody else," he said in the documentary, which was his last filmed interview. In this interview, Wright also opined that parents should teach their children to be something and the community would benefit if African-Americans and the poor would have more access to education.
Wright's life is an example of the heroic behavior we should all emulate when we see and encounter injustices. While his approach may have died with him, learning from his lessons will allow us as a society to resurrect his teachings and beliefs when it is necessary to defend the rights and freedoms of members of our community.
Nicole Brown is an academic adviser and adjunct faculty member in the department of communication at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.