Sponsored by the Multifaith Council and the Martin Luther King, Jr. planning committee, the well-attended service memorialized King's life and addressed the state of his dream, opening with recordings of Dr. King's speeches.
Wright, Pastor at Trinity United Church in Chicago, Ill., addressed the "challenge of change" in his stirring sermon. He began with an allusion to the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. According to Wright, Joshua begins "on the precipice of change … a change in leadership, a change in location, and a change in lifestyle." Moses has just died and the Jews have finally reached the land of Canon. It is a "state of crisis," as Wright put it.
According to Wright, America is currently experiencing a similar state of crisis. A biting critique of the current administration pervaded Wright's speech and was the basis for many of his claims of crisis.
"We have money for bombs, but no money for bread and books," Wright said, "Money for the CIA to torture people, but no money for the [American Medical Association] to treat people."
Wright then focused on Hurricane Katrina and the government's response. "Michael Moore was right, Kayne West was right," Wright said, "Ray Charles could see it was racism." Wright contrasted America's speedy response to the Tsunami in East Asia to their comparatively inefficient response to the residents of New Orleans following the Hurricane.
Wright's sermon focused on the need to act in the face of this perceived crisis. "Every crisis we have to face is also an opportunity for God's grace," Wright proclaimed. "The fact is, Martin Luther King was more than a dreamer, he was a doer," he added later.
Wright stressed the opportunity to leave the next generation a world free of militarism, racism, classism and sexism, to end poverty, war and profiteering, and to bring national health care and proper education to all. "We need to join hands and work together, not just sing together," Wright said.
Time and again, Wright emphasized the danger of dwelling on the past. In one of many humorous moments of his speech, Wright began singing the song "The Way We Were," by Barbara Streisand, to stress this point. "That was then, but this is now," Wright had the audience repeat. "You learn from the past, but you live in the present," Wright harped.
Wright's animated, jovial speech was the climax of the service, which included performances by the Women's Chorus, Glee Club and Gospel Choir.
Frequently, the performances had audience members on their feet, snapping their fingers, clapping their hands or singing along. The night also included student recitations of Martin Luther King's speeches as well as remarks from religious leaders of the Multifaith Council.
"[Wright] is not just simply a preacher … He lives what he has challenged us to do," the Rev. Paul V. Sorrentino, Coordinator for Religious Life and Advisor to the Christian Fellowship told the audience following Wright's speech. "He's living out the dream and challenging us to do that."
Sorrentino noted that Wright had just returned from a visit to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and that the next day he would be in Illinois for Barack Obama's presidential announcement.
In her introduction to Wright's speech, Professor of Chemistry Patricia O'Hara similarly noted Wright's accomplishments and devotion to service. She said that when Wright became Pastor of Trinity United Church in 1972, the church had only 87 members. The membership has since swelled and now includes close to 10,000 parishioners.
"Wright's reputation crosses national boundaries," O'Hara remarked. She later added, "We see power and purpose in this man's life."
The service ended with everyone rising and joining together in the singing of "We Shall Overcome."
"It is our challenge, our opportunity, to contribute to the state of the dream," Sorrentino said in his response to Wright's speech. "None of us can do everything, but every one of us can do something."