Fox News anchor and reporter Kelly Wright said that he finds America’s racial divide “hurtful” and offered up some prescriptions that he believes could help bring unity to a nation that is deeply divided.
“I abhor racism in any form which is why I continually fight against wherever it exists,” Wright, who is black, recently told Faithwire. “Although we have a complicated history and present in our country, we must break free from the shackles of racism that keep us enslaved to bitterness, distrust hatred of each other.”
He continued, “We must always strive to become one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
Those words certainly resonate as the nation continues to reel in the wake of violence in Charlottesville — an event that came on the heels of years of debate surrounding relations between members of American law enforcement and the African American community.
When asked what could help bring reconciliation to America, Wright, who also has a new album out titled, “Songs of Inspiration,” said that the very definition of the word means reuniting people with one another in an effort to usher in restoration, as he implored all Americans to try and do just that.
“We must continually strive to achieve racial reconciliation in our country. We cannot survive if we are falling into an abyss of hate,” he said. “We must seek to reconcile our differences by sincerely talking to each other, not bashing each other with sticks, rocks and clubs or killing each other.”
Wright believes people should intentionally engage with one another, taking the time to not only understand but to also visit one another’s communities and homes to “discover how all of our cultures truly intersect around our collective pursuit of freedom.” Liberty and unity, he said, depend on these sorts of interactions.
“We cannot have liberty if we isolate ourselves into separate enclaves of ‘white only,’ ‘black only,’ ‘Native American,’ ‘Latino/Hispanic only,’ and ‘Asian/South Asian only,'” he said. “Let us not forget our founding declaration that ‘we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. And we are endowed with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'”
Wright recalled once posing a difficult question to a man who claimed to be an Imperial Wizard for the Ku Klux Klan. He interviewed the purported extremist while working as a reporter in New York City and said that the interaction was tough because “his heart was very hardened.”
“His mind was very closed to my simple question of. ‘What did Jesus mean when he said, Love God with all your heart and strength, love your neighbor as you love yourself and love your enemies?’ Also, what did Jesus mean when he said, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?'” Wright said. “I ask the same question of myself, and I believe it is a question for all of us to ponder and eventually answer.”
https://www.facebook.com/kellywrightgoodnewsman/videos/1738241399527911/
The TV reporter also shared the biggest lesson he’s learned in his career thus far: that every person has a “desire to feel significant” and wants to believe that his or her life matters, and he discussed his passion for music which dates back to his childhood.
“I have been involved in music since I was little boy watching my mother and grandmother singing at church. My grandmother played the pipe organ plus had a wonderful operatic voice,” he said. “My mother played piano and had a wonderful voice. They filled me with a deep love and appreciation for all types of music.”
Wright recently released “Songs of Inspiration,” an album that features songs and hymns he hopes will inspire the masses.