Ben Carson Make a Big Impression in Houston, TX

[Troy]

This was an update written by Gwen Richardson.  

Dr. Ben Carson spoke at our church (Fallbrook Church in Houston) this morning at both 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. services. Many of my FB friends were interested in hearing my perspective on his presentation, so I'm posting a few details.

First, there were a few dozen white congregants in the audience, more than we usually have. Fallbrook is a large church and we have some diversity but our congregation is 98% African American. This was one of the major Houston stops on Carson's book tour, which was the purpose of his appearance. He just released "A More Perfect Union," and is on a nationwide book tour.

Second, his message was almost entirely non-political. He spoke for about 20 minutes about his impoverished beginnings, how his mother inspired him by forcing him to read two books per week, and details of some of his most difficult surgical procedures. He also spoke about his faith. There was little that would be considered controversial in any church in America, including black churches.

There was a lot of humor in his speech and a big focus on education and success. He received respectful applause at the beginning, and robust applause at the end. He spoke before the Sunday sermon, which was delivered by our pastor, Michael Pender. His presentation was completely different at 11 a.m. compared to his speech at 8, but the themes were the same.

After service, he took pictures in a separate area of our facility and signed the books that people purchased. I have never heard him speak in person before and can understand why he has a following. He has a quiet way of gaining attention from observers and has a very compelling personal testimony.

Even people who don't like his politics or his political statements would be inspired by his story. I'm not sure what this will mean for the duration of the presidential campaign, but I think his book tour will be helpful to him. Here's a photo of his book tour bus [above] that was parked out front at our church. (Photo is courtesy of my friend, Teesha Moore.)

 

Edited October 20, 2015 by Troy

[Troy]

Still interesting that a viable Black candidate has almost zero support from northern from Black folks.  Every Black person I talk to hates the man.  I shared Gwen's position because while she is not giving him an endorsement, she seemed open minded and willing to listen to what he had to say.

I just noticed this video and think it is pretty good look for Ben.  The interviewer asked interesting questions about race.  I never noticed Ben's wife before seeing this video. I'm sure she will get a lot of grief for her appearance if Ben remains a viable candidate well into next year (No, I don't have much confidence in the maturity of folks).