The Bringing People Together version: At Carnegie Hall, gospel singer Wintley Phipps delivers perhaps the most powerful rendition of Amazing Grace ever recorded. He says:
“A lot of people don’t realize that just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano. Probably the most famous on this slave scale was written by John Newton, who used to be the captain of a slave ship, and many believe he heard this melody that sounds very much like a West African sorrow chant. And it has a haunting, haunting plaintive quality to it that reaches past your arrogance, past your pride, and it speaks to that part of you that’s in bondage. And we feel it. We all feel it. It’s just one of the most amazing melodies in all of human history.”
After sharing the noteworthy history of the song, Mr. Phipps delivers a stirring performance that brings the audience to its feet!
The Tearing Them Apart Version:
President Obama is using Pinckney eulogy to make a broad argument against systemic racism – poverty, bad schools, voting rights, criminal justice:
"For too long, we’ve been blind to the unique mayhem that gun violence inflicts on this nation," says @POTUS.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 26, 2015
"By taking down that flag we express God’s grace," says @POTUS. "But I don’t think God wants us to stop there." pic.twitter.com/T9GN5RWBdv
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 26, 2015
Pres Obama reflects on the Confederate flag saying: For too long we were blind to the pain the flag stirred in so many of our citizens.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 26, 2015