Jeremiah Wright and Richard Allen had something in common: the Obama Flap of 2008 and the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

In his 1909 poem entitled "If", Rudyard Kipling seems to speak to the current controversy surrounding the misrepresentation about Dr. Jeremiah Wright's sermon when he says "...don't deal in lies." Kipling added, " If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken, Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools." These are words to live by.

And while this wise counsel is usually a good course of action to take when people are being less than honest about who you are and what you've done and what you've said, there is also a time when someone must speak up on behalf of those who have been wronged. It is not dealing in lies, but it is issuing a response for future generations who will one day wonder what their fore parents thought about the important issues of the day. It is in that light that I am proud to be a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Rather than sit back quietly while the character and ministry of one of America's most prophetic voices is maligned, clergy and laity of the AME Church have been vocal in their support of Dr. Wright (even though he is not a member of the AME Church; a point that has become a 'bone of contention' with some AME's-see the current Christian Recorder Online, RE: Dupont Walker and Mr. Bill Dickens). At least 3 notable responses have been making the email rounds that I'm aware of, and I'm sure that there are more. One is by Bishop William DeVeaux, Ph.D., presiding prelate of the 6th Episcopal District, another signed by Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, presiding prelate of the 16th Episcopal District, chair of the Social Action Commission of the AME Church and submitted by Mrs. Jackie DuPont Walker, a lay person and member of the Commission, and still another is by Rev. William Watley, Ph.D., esteemed pastor of the St. James AME Church in Newark, New Jersey. Some may say that responding to such foolishness as Dr. Wright being compared to Adolph Hitler is a waste of time, but I would argue that the historical record demands that someone tell the other side of the story. (Click here to hear Dr. Wright's so-called controversial 9-11 sermon for yourself and you be the judge of whether or not he went too far.)

In fact, the uproar about Dr. Wright and the response by the community of faith within and without the AME Church, can be compared to an episode early in the life of the Black Christian Church in America, as it came under assault by the media of the day. In 1793, the city of Philadelphia (then the capital of the United States) was besieged by an outbreak of the Yellow Fever. This outbreak led to the deaths of 4 to 5,000 people (of a population of just under 30,000!). As President George Washington, the Congress, and almost all of the other citizens of Philadelphia fled the city, Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and other free Blacks remained to care for the sick and dying. Allen and Jones had been convinced by Dr. Benjamin Rush (a signer on the Declaration of Independence and a leading physician) that Blacks could not become infected by the disease. Although, over 200 Blacks lost their lives as a result of this erroneous information, the group nonetheless worked tirelessly and bravely in the face of death.

However, their thanks for placing their lives on the line was to come by way of an accusation by Matthew Carey, a 1790s publisher in Philadelphia. Carey was a leading journalist in that day and wrote an account of the events during the Yellow Fever outbreak (A short account of the malignant fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia). His short pamphlet was so popular that it went through 4 printings. In the first 3 editions, he accused the Black nurses and grave diggers who stayed to help in the crises of stealing from the dead and inflating their prices to take advantage of the sick. While he was generous in his comments about Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, he was less than kind with the majority of Blacks that stayed behind.

Even though by 4th edition, Carey had changed his story and corrected his error, the story had become a part of established myth and lore. The lie, in other words, had taken hold. And so Allen and Jones picked up the pen to set the historical record straight. While some would have been content to just let the story fade away on its own, they decided it best to tell their side of the events.

Allen and Jones were quick to point out that maybe Carey's memory was not clear on the events because he fled the city during the plague, even though he was designated to stay and help the sick! Yet, now upon his return, he was quick to point the finger at those who risked their lives to stay. While Allen and Jones agreed that there was stealing and the inflation of charges by some in both the White and Black community, these events were the exception, not the rule. Hear their own words about the bravery of those left behind:

"A poor coloured [sic] man, named Sampson, went constantly from house to house where distress was, and no assistance, without fee or reward. He was smitten with the disorder, and died. After his death his family were neglected by those he had served. Sarah Bass, a coloured [sic] widow woman, gave all the assistance she could, in several families, for which she did not receive any thing; and when any thing was offered her, she left it to the option of those she served. A coloured woman nursed Richard Mason and son. They died. Richard's widow, considering the risk the poor woman had run, and from observing the fears that sometimes rested on her mind, expected she would have demanded something considerable; but upon asking her what she demanded, her reply was, 'fifty cents per day.' Mrs. Mason intimated it was not sufficient for her attendance. She replied that it was enough for what she had done, and would take no more. Mrs. Mason's feelings were such, that she settled an annuity of six pounds a year on her for life. Her name was Mary Scott. An elderly coloured [sic] woman nursed--with great diligence and attention. When recovered, he asked what he must give her for her services--she replied, 'a dinner, master, on a cold winter's day.' And thus she went from place to place, rendering every service in her power, without an eye to reward...We do not recollect such acts of humanity from the poor white people, in all the round we have been engaged in. We could mention many other instances of the like nature, but think it needless. It is unpleasant for us to make these remarks, but justice to our colour [sic] demands it." Excerpt from The Life, Experience, and Gospel Labours of the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen, pp.35-36.

In support of their statement of the facts, Mayor Matthew Clarkson of the city of Philadelphia wrote on behalf of Allen, Jones, and those that were employed by them that their "...diligence, attention, and decency of deportment, afforded me, at the time, much satisfaction." Even with the endorsement of the mayor and Benjamin Rush, it is certain that many Whites still harbored ill feelings toward their Black neighbors for years after the plague due to this unwarranted and misguided attack from a media celebrity.

It is likely that the effect of the current controversy with Dr. Wright's sermon will follow him the rest of his life. This is sad and unfortunate for one who has given his life for the betterment of all people. But, this is also why it is so important that we put down in writing the true context of these events so that future generations will not have to wonder what we thought.

Thank God that Allen and Jones had the foresight to write their own account of those tragic events. Thank God that members of the AME Church and others continue to do so in the present. I close with the words used by Allen and Jones to sum up their own feelings about their controversy:

God and a soldier all men do adore
In time of war, and not before;
When the war is over, and all things righted,
God is forgotten, and the soldier slighted.