The embattled former minister of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has been selected as the keynote speaker for the Detroit branch of the NAACP's 53rd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner.
The civil rights organization said Thursday the Rev. Jeremiah Wright will speak April 27 at the event, whose past speakers have included Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Freedom Fund dinner draws about 10,000 people.
Wright has been criticized for remarks about everything from race relations to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He recently retired from Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.
Obama has denounced the most inflammatory of Wright's comments, but says he shouldn't be judged solely on a handful of remarks.