Obama's "Black Value System"

Apparent presidential candidate U.S. Senator Barack H. Obama is an active member of the Trinity United Church of Christ, located in Chicago's South Side.  Obama and his wife Michelle were married at the church fourteen years ago, when Trinity's current pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., performed their wedding ceremony. (Rev. Wright pictured with Obama)

Trinity UCC's motto is "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian."

One wonders how America's commitment to the black community would change with a member of Trinity's congregation in the White House.

Below are the church's 12-precepts and covenantal statements called the "Black Value System." 

(Update:  02.20.2008 -- The TUCC.org's website has been recently revamped and the Black Value System was moved to a less prominent page  A link is at the very bottom now.)

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Black Community
3. Commitment to the Black Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

I'm especially interested in learning more about how one adheres to the "Black Work Ethic" and disavows the pursuit of "Middleclassness."   

Comments

[Truthful James]

We certainly can agree with most of the litany. Historically, blacks who have succeeded have not looked back to empower with their newfound wealth the institutions in their community.

However:

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

is a racial separating pan-party commandment. Here I have a problem. Blacks have been held down by their own political leaders who give lip service to the prior items.

[Don Castella]

One might describe the list as good tinged with racial identity. One way to look at the list is to remove the racial references and see if the statements hold up:

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Community
3. Commitment to the Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all leadership who espouse and embrace the Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Value System.

Absent racial references, these statements of values are quite admirable. They mostly represent mainstream Judeo-Christian American values.

How would you feel about a church that proclaimed a White Value System, by substituting the word 'White' for the word 'Black' in the list above? I can hear the media elites ringing condemnations already.

Perhaps the "pursuit of 'Middleclassness'" refers to crass materialism, something many might benefit from personally by disavowing.

I fail to see how a church that steeps its values in racial identity is not practicing racism. One wonders how welcoming that congregation would be to non-black Christians. I would hope that Christian values would prevail. It would violate basic Christian values to pursue such racial divisions. These are the very same Christian values that rang out so clearly in Dr. Martin Luther King's powerful speeches.

Let Americans never forget Dr King's reiteration of the American dream:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

[Bob Schmidt]

The key to any value system is the criteria by which that value system is forcibly imposed on others in the "community".

Historically our value system says murder, rape, robbery are so wrong that we should impose our value system on the entire community. The Repbulican abolitionist value system said slavery was so wrong that its prohibition should be imposed on others against their more relative value system.

So the queation is to what extent thoe with a value system of "work ethic", "self-respect", non-middle-classness, etc should impose that value system on everyone?

[Harold Henderson]

Perhaps the "middleclassness" to be avoided is the familiar attitude of "Scr*w you, Jack, I've got mine."

As Obama writes in his book, "Out of necessity, the black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation from collective salvation."

BTW, the difference between "Black Values" and "White Values" is the difference between centuries of being oppressed and centuries of oppressing.

[Frank]

If Sen. Obama is truly involved in this type of church with these racist views, I don't know that he won't bring these into the white house. Lord, according to this, he may even paint the house black.

Why is that some people have to put others into race categories and then strive to have on category of race out due others. Why can't we all be Americans? Illinoisans? Christians? etc... forget the race factor and America will be better for it... Whites, Blacks, Mexicans, means nothing to me, if we all work together the future will be better because of it.

[Bill Baar]

My Dad always told me people in Berwyn i.e. Bohemians, had a special kind of work ethic (one he suggested I lacked sometimes.)

I'd chuck middle classism for Americanism.

[Truthful James]

Harold --

In which case, even though we have generations of non oppression, Black Values will never be the same as white values???

That is flat out wrong.

The Democrat big city mayors had turned economic disadvantage into political advantage. From Harold to Richie the plantations continue and people who try to rise above it are scorned.

Big Ed is another plantation owner. With the connivance of the Democrat political leadership they have underwualified teachers deliver sub quality product to the people that need it most. Your legisators persist in maintaining what is turning into a permanent underclass.

That is what Trinity United and Bill Cosby and people like Eric Wasllace are trying to overcome. Piling on extra weight does not make the climb easier.

The power that LBJ gave to the mayors in his so called War on Poverty merely cemented both the Democrat machiens and the poor people in place.

[Ralph W. Conner]

The futility of hanging-racial sensitivity or consciousness around Sen O's neck should be gospel by now. His current political horse is just the opposite no matter what local ethnic south-side black church dogma may dictate from time to time to be authentically black.If you dig through his brief legislative past You will find ultra-liberal positions on all sorts of social issues and little background in fiscal restraint (which makes the Bush presidency such a mockery that O and Hilly are running as better fiscal hawks than the current occupant of the White House: all because he strove to give them(Members of Congress) all the bridges to nowhere they asked for!), and softness on crime and defense which gives comfort to Cuba and Venezuela.
But Americans want a rock star Not a Bush, I hope Jeb runs jest to give em all hell!

Ralph W. Conner

[Greg]

In the Showtime series "Sleeper Cell", the terrorist leader (Farik) masqueraded as a devout jew helping with Tora studies and coaching the little league team - just before attempting to blow up a full Dodger Stadium.
Appearances can be deceiving - eh Barak Hessien Osama?

[Palos Park Bob]

Uh oh, Bill, it looks like we may differ on our "Bohemian Value System" backgrounds.

The one I received from the Marquette Park branch of my lineage was simple; "study hard, work hard, save hard, invest smart and buy apartment buildings as soon as possible".

Funny thing. It seems this "value system" works pretty well whether you're American-African, Italian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Asian, or any other ethnicity.

Oh yeah. I forgot perhaps the most important part of the "Bohemian Constitution". Always live below your means and never borrow unnecessarily.

[Harold]

Truthful James, you would have a valid point if we had in fact yet had "generations of non-oppression." History matters even when it's inconvenient.

I agree with you about most big-city mayors. If I recall properly, and I might not, there was a brief time when the War on Poverty was supposed to set up an independent power base, not be funneled through existing political machines. It didn't last. (Of course then Daley I and other racists would have whined about loss of "local control.")

[DrPuma]

The term "black" as it is used in "The Black Value System" is a reference to the audience. It's a motivational tool tailored to a specific audience: congregates of Trinity UCC. My guess is the congregation is overwhelmingly, though not exclusively, black. It doesn't make Obama a racist, but it sure makes the wingnuts' hissy fits over the issue look racially-inspired.

[William Ludquist]

I examined Trinity's web site today to show my friend their 12 point position on their stand in the community and see that they have removed this from their page.
Now why would they do that?

[David Muhammad]

The only reason this is news because barack obama is running for president. As a black person who lives in a neighborhood with people that many look like me, My church addresses LOCAL LOCAL issues. I dont agree with trinity but if a white church wants to deal with the white community, if an asian church wants to deal with the asian community then there is nothing wrong with the black church dealing with the OVERWHELMING POVERTY< DRUGS and other social diseases that exist. Integration. begging, pleading and government programs are hopeless. SO i dont think this article is of any value... Black churches trying to take care of themselves should be applauded..
Typical political BS. Democrat, Republican it doesnt matter its all a joke!

[David Muhammad]

If Trinity changed there website because of political pressure , then they are hypocrites!

[Hussein Obama the Muslim]

Let's take a better look at this, and change it to suit white people, and see how it turns out?

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the White Community
3. Commitment to the White Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Suddenly we have a very scarey, racist document, don't we?

[Bill Bridges]

What bothers me most about Obama, Winfrey, Sharpton, et.al., is they appear to believe Dr. King's reference to character to skin color was meant for white people only. One cannot simultaneously work to end racism, while at the same time, not only practice, but promote, racism. Playing the race card against white folks is a betrayal to the memory of Dr. King and the United States of America. But this betrayal is not just about skin color. The same rule applies to women, gays; anyone who suffers from discrimination. Compassion is at the heart of non-discrimination.

[Jim Spriggs]

"Let's take a better look at this, and change it to suit white people, and see how it turns out?...Suddenly we have a very scarey, racist document, don't we?"

And the reason is obvious. African Americans have had a centuries-long history of being oppressed in American (and pre-American) society by white people. The reason your exercise becomes a "scary, racist document" is obvious for just that reason.

You are confusing pride of the oppressed with racism.

'[I]t is necessary to understand that Black Power is a cry of disappointment. The Black Power slogan did not spring full grown
from the head of some philosophical Zeus. It was born from the wounds of despair and disappointment. It is a cry of daily hurt
and persistent pain.'

'Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.'
http://www.mlkonline.net/quotes.html

[Christopher Miami]

Bill,

You can parse words all day, but the fact remains that if it's racist for white people to say it, then it's also racist for black people to say it.

There is no justification for a double standard. No white man has oppressed me. Nor, I strongly suspect, has any white man ever oppressed you personally.
Some may have personal views which wish us all back into slavery, but that doesn't give us the right to become what we despise.

[unnecessary1]

Change the BLACK to WHITE and there would be accusations of racism.

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the White Community
3. Commitment to the White Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

[Amanda]

We don't need ANYONE as The United States President to be racist and obviously anyone who follows this "black value system" is racist. The community consists of every color, we don't need someone in office only looking out for their own race we need someone looking out for the community as a whole---black, white, mexican, asian, etc......all of these people make up a community together. This is 2008, we're not living in the slavery days anymore, people are so rediculous, seriously! And like someone else said, if you put the word white in place of the word black in their "black value system" all chaos would brake loose

[George Carrette]

I used google to find a statement from 1981
that explained the Black Value System
in a statement to honor Dr. Manford Byrd.

It looked pretty reasonable to me; as a white, Irish/French Reagan Democrat
from Massachusetts. Especially that
part that says: "We must forswear anti-intellectualism."

By the way, I believe that Dr Martin Luther King was 100 times more powerful than any US President in my lifetime. Seems to me that Dr King could get great things done by harnessing
private economic power, and really change things,
even while the government was hostile to the change.

Has the Great Society or the War on Poverty really helped the poor it was supposed to serve, or has it merely kept a lid on things and made the rich feel better about themselves?

[Sunny]

I thought being a christian, your commitment should be to God, but this rhetoric sounds like the church and it's members are committed to only the black communties.

Why was Mitt Romney given such a hard time about his religion but oddly enough, I havven't heard a ppep about Oboma's religion

[K Becker]

I find the black value system one of disgust! If the black were replaced with white the affluent african americans in this country would be up in arms. anyone but Obama is all I am hoping for in November. I am tired of reverse racism being acceptable in this country! I can't believe a president who lives his life by these values can lead a country where the majority does not "fit" into his "value" system.

Obama should be ashamed of himself, as should his family. anyonebutobama.com is the website I will begin shortly!!