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Ann Turner, Gay Wired In a speech Sunday at the legendary Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King served as pastor until his assassination in 1968, Obama rallied a crowd of more than 2,500 people by saying the country suffers from an "empathy deficit." "The division, the stereotypes, the scapegoating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others—all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face—war and poverty; injustice and inequality," Obama said. "We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down." "If Dr. King could love his jailor, if he could call the faithful who once sat where you do to forgive those who set dogs and fire hoses upon them, then surely we can look past what divides us in our time," Obama said in his speech. Ebenezer pastor Rev. Raphael Warnock, introducing the Democratic presidential candidate, said Obama is fulfilling the legacy of King. "Because of Dr. King, he is here, and that ought to make all Americans proud," Warnock said. After the service, Obama placed a wreath of red roses at King's tomb in Atlanta before departing for Columbia, SC. Obama, Clinton and John Edwards were slated to speak there at a Martin Luther King Day Rally at the South Carolina statehouse. On Monday night, the three candidates will participate in a debate organized by CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. The debate comes five days before the Democratic primary in South Carolina, where nearly half of voters are expected to be African-Americans. In Harlem on Sunday, Clinton faced a mixed reaction as she attended a King service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Clinton picked up the endorsement of the church's pastor, Rev. Calvin Butts III, but received a lukewarm reception from a crowd outside the church. "[Martin Luther King Jr.] understood that we can push the limits of our laws, we can eliminate on paper so many of the discriminatory practices that have unfortunately marked and marred our history, but we have to do so much more," Clinton said from the church pulpit. “The rhetoric of change in which we are presently engaged must also be accompanied by the experience and ability necessary to succesfully and resourcefully accomplish it,” Butts said of Clinton. Meanwhile, a group of Obama supporters chanted "be part of something great, Obama '08" outside the church and shouted "Stay out of Harlem" to Clinton as she handed out coffee to supporters, according to FoxNews.com. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll published on Friday showed nearly 60 percent of registered black Democrats currently support Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, with 31 percent supporting Clinton.
As the nation celebrated the life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, top Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton prepared to battle in a debate geared toward wooing black voters. Leading into the debate, Obama spoke at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was pastor, while Clinton attended a King service at a prominent Harlem church.
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Originally published on Tuesday January 22, 2008.