Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright

Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr. is currently the Senior Pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL.  Since becoming pastor on March 1, 1972, he has dedicated himself to the motto of the church, "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian" - a phrase that describes him well.  He has been very influential in fostering activism on behalf of the African-American community within the church.  Rev. Dr. Wright has been a key leader, who has been a powerful reason why the membership of the church has grown from only 87 adult members in 1972, to the over 8,000 that make up the congregation today. 

Reverend Wright was born in Philidelphia, PA, on September 22, 1941. His parents, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Sr. and Dr. Mary Henderson Wright, were very spiritually involved and were his first connection with religion. They instilled in him the values of religion and intellect, values which he took very seriously as he moved on in life. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. from Howard University, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in divinity from the United Theological College. While he was there he studied with the well-known Samuel DeWitt Proctor, who was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King.

Then in 1972 he became the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC). While there he has done a lot to get the church involved in working on behalf of the African-American community. He had also made some controversial topics, such as AIDS, a priority within the church. In 1997 TUCC built a 2,700 worship center, from which Reverend Wright now gives fiery sermons about the continuing income gap between African Americans and whites, the need to teach African American history more accurately in school, and the war on terrorism. He talks about the “moral values” of the current administration saying, “When you lie about weapons of mass destruction, that’s a moral value. People weren’t voting on moral values. They were voting on fear, and they were being ignorant.” (Udell)

Not only does he have his hand in politics and racial issues, he is also very involved in his own community. He oversees the more than 70 ministries offered by the church, from Girl Scouts to the Prison Ministry. In this ministry, the “ministers” have weekly visits with Cook County Jail and bimonthly visits with Valley View Youth Correctional Facility. This group draws its inspiration from the line from the Bible, "I was in prison and you came to see me." Matthew 25:36

Trinity United Church of Christ thinks is very important to keep up to date with all the technology in the world today. They offer a Computer Center that’s supposed to help the church and the community keep up with the digital technology today. They also have an Information Technology Ministry whose goal is to help the TUCC community be more effective by keeping them up with the newest technology of the 21st Century.

The Church also sponsors a group for women called the Sisterhood. This group focuses on building a place of trust and support where women can go to help find answers to tough problems that only affect women. There is also a ministry for males, the Men’s Fellowship that works to get men more involved in the church and the community. There are also groups for couples, such as the Counseling Ministry, and the Domestic Violence Advocacy/Care Ministry, where people can go for help with emotionally or physically abusive relationships.

One ministry Rev. Wright personally created is the “Million for the Master.” It’s based on the Million Man March, and its goal is to “promote the spiritual, economic, social and political viability of the African American community.” It helps bring the church and the community closer together. Dr. Wright thinks African heritage and African roots are very important, and TUCC also sponsors groups such as the African Ministry. This group promotes knowledge about Africa and the Diaspora, and offers grants for travel to Africa.

Reverend Wright has one many awards, including seven honorary doctorate degrees, and three presidential commendations. Not only that but he is a musician and an author of four books: Good News!: Sermons of Hope for Today's Families, The Pilgrimage of a Pastor: The autobiography of Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr, What Makes You So Strong?: Sermons of Joy and Strength, and Forgive Who?: The Struggle to Obey God's Awful Command. He is also a highly sought after speaker, because he gives very lively and moving sermons, and speaks on many topics from African-American rights to the war in Iraq. He was even named one of Ebony’s top fifteen preachers.

Dr. Wright lives happily with his loving and supportive wife, Ramah Reed Wright. He has four daughters, one son, and three grandchildren. You can read an interview with him about his views about religion and the African-American community on the CBS website in the Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.