Obama is trying to get the black community in south Chicago organized for most of this section. It is not easy work, because most of the black churches and such are very independent, and don't want (or are too proud) to join the organization. He says "a handful i met with confirmed to the prototypes found in Richard Wright novels or Malcolm X speeches: sanctimonious graybeards preaching pie-in-the-sky, or slick holy rollers with flashy cars and a constant eye on the collection plate" (Dreams from My Father 279). The men were not willing to coordinate with Obama and his organization because they thought they were doing fine without it, and that it might mess up everything they had going, whether it be religion or money from the offering plate. That's not to say Obama didn't like these men. He was impressed by them. He describes them "As a group, they turned out to be thoughtful, hardworking men, with a confidence, a certainty of purpose, that made them, by far the best organizers in the neighborhood (Dreams from my Father 279). He was impressed with their ability to command respect and inspire a sense of duty into things like the offering plate and other church donations. The only problem he had with them was their unwillingness to work together.
The section I read also deals more with the issues of racism. The area where Obama is working is highly segregated. He notes that "there was no denying that the church had a disproportionate number of black professionals in its ranks: engineers, doctors, accountants and cooperate managers (Dreams from my Father 285). The church he was working with didn't have many blacks in professional workers. Also, he meets Reverend Wright in this section. At first, I expected Reverend Wright to be a bad guy type figure, due to his little input into Ba rack's campaign, but it seems that at first Barack and Reverend Wright were pretty good friends. At least definitely not enemies. When speaking about Reverend Wright, Obama speaks with admiration. For example, Obama says "If men like Reverend Wright failed to take a stand, if churches like holy trininty refused to engage with eral power and risk genuine conflict, then [there would be no] chance of holding the larger community intact? (Dreams from my Father 286)
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4 comments:
I like this blog because it shows that Barack did have a want to lead and organize others in need, whether they wanted to or not. Also, Reverend White is shows as a smart man who just wants to stand up for what he believes in. Whether that want is considered moral is another subject. However, this post shows well that Barack always wanted to have order, and he knew how he wanted to organize others. This will hopefully help him become the best President he can be.
"He was impressed with their ability to command respect and inspire a sense of duty into things like the offering plate and other church donations" Verrry nice! This is a nice moral/political quote right here-- which I believe is what you're talking about, churches having the moral or political duty. They've got the political duty, which is basically to get money in whatever way possible ("inspiring a sense of duty") and they've go the moral duty, which is also illustrated by the phrase "inspiring a sense of duty". So what makes these churches so powerful is that they combine politics and morals into one, all through pulling together a sense of duty! And that, indeed, is hwat you explain is what makes the best organizers, fulfilling people with a sense of duty. Great job! I had no idea of that lesson before I read this and started spouting nonsense about the writing...
Your book looks really interesting Michael. I think it's a good sign that, even though Barack was having a difficult time organizing these people, he didn't regard them as bad people or as his enemies. Hopefully this means he will be willing to talk with those who don't always agree with his ideals as president.
I like how you mention Obama's encounter with Reverend Wright. He got a lot of bad press during the campaigns and many people felt that he was a bad person and only saw one side to him. Reading this, I get a better sense of who he is and the context in which he knows Barack Obama.
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