Reply #5: In his own words...

[casus belli]

"For most of this country's history, we in the African-American community have been on the receiving end of man's inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays - on the job, in the schools, in our healthcare system, and in our criminal justice system," Obama said.

And yet, he said, African-Americans have been guilty of anti-Semitism and hostility toward immigrants, and have "scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them."

"If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community.

"The divisions, the stereotypes, the scapegoating, the ease with which we blame the plight of ourselves on others, all of that distracts us from the common challenges we face: war and poverty; inequality and injustice," Obama said.

"We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late."


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/21/at_kings_church_obama_reaches_out_to_black_voters/?page=1