Senator Obama's Philadelphia story: full text

Senator Barack Obama spoke to supporters at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center where he spoke of his ""unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story." Obama spoke of his parentage, saying he is "the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas".

He added "I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible", and "It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate", said the Illinois Democrat. "But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts -- that out of many, we are truly one."

Obama's speech comes after much debate on the airwaves and the Internet over the Democratic presidential candidate's relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright - the pastor who baptized Obama and his children, as well as officiated at his wedding. Rev. Wright once preached at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where the senator and his family worship. Obama has been associated with Rev. Wright for 20 years.

Clips of various sermons preached by Rev. Wright have circulated widely in which he soon after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, he remarked "America's chickens are coming home to roost", an apparent reference to US foreign policies which he criticizes.

Moreover, Rev. Wright has been recorded as saying "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America", "No, no, no. God damn America, that's in the Bible, for killing innocent people." Obama was not in attendance at Trinity when Rev. Wright made these remarks.

Rev. Wright has also given an achievement award to controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan who some have denounced, variously, as anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic. The Chicago preacher was an advisor to Obama's political campaign until March 14 as controversy swirled.

Obama said in his Philadelphia speech that he decided to run for the presidency since he believes "we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together".

Said the senator, "I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren".

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.The senator went on to say that he had sat in church and heard his former minister make controversial remarks. "Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely -- just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." Rev. Wright's remarks, said Obama, "were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity".

The senator denounced Rev. Wright's remarks on March 17 and again distanced himself from them, but not the man, in Philadelphia. Regarding the remarks, Obama said "But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man", in reference to video clips of Rev. Wright's homilies.

Obama said "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me", while insisting that he is not trying to justify Rev. Wright's comments. "The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues