Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., after attending Virginia Union University (VUU) for three and a half years, left school and entered the United States Marine Corps and then the United States Navy, serving as a cardiopulmonary technician, for a total of six years in the military.
Rev. Wright completed his undergraduate studies and received a master’s degree in English at Howard University a second master’s degree in the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School and earned his Doctor of Ministry under Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor at United Theological Seminary.
For 36 years, Rev. Wright was senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (UCC) in Chicago. An historian of religions, the foundational strengths gained from his studies of Black Sacred Music, ethnomusicology, and African Diaspora studies shaped his vision for prophetic ministry. Rev. Wright combined his studies of West African music and Judeo-Christian thought to create over 70 ministries addressing the needs of the community and enriching the lives and faith of his congregants by moving ministry “from theory to praxis.” Under Wright’s pastorate, Trinity grew from 87 to over 8,000 active members, constructed two church buildings and two senior citizen housing complexes. He was CEO of a corporation comprised of six subsidiary corporations: The Higher Education Corporation, Childcare Corporation, Healthcare Corporation, a Federally Chartered Credit Union, Hospice Care Corporation, and the African-Centered Christian elementary school, Kwame Nkrumah Academy. After 36 years, Pastor Wright was voted by the congregation as Pastor Emeritus upon his retirement in 2008.
A lecturer of Africana Studies, Black Sacred Music, African Religions, and the African American Experience in the Black Atlantic, Dr. Wright is adjunct professor at four seminaries including The Chicago Theological Seminary, and The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University (STVU). Co-founder of the Center for African American Theological Studies in Chicago (CAATS) and proud mentor of 18 graduates of STVU who completed their seminary work through CAATS, while senior pastor, Dr. Wright was responsible for 42 members of the congregation earning seminary degrees and being ordained into the United Church of Christ denomination. He is also a co-founder of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc., and a member of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Wright shares his life and legacy with his wife, Rev. Dr. Ramah Wright, four daughters, one son, and five grandchildren.