Since Joining the White House in early 1995, presidential
speechwriter Terry Edmonds has toiled far away from the news media
spotlight that closely follows President Bill Clinton and his top aides.
Speechwriters rarely become known to the public and the soft-spoken
Edmonds has preferred to steer clear of the media. But when it came
time for President Clinton to deliver last month’s commencement address
at Morgan State University — the first ever by a sitting U.S.
president at a public historically Black college or university —
Edmonds found it difficult to escape the public spotlight.
As a graduate of Morgan State who has worked in public relations
and public affairs for the past twenty-four years, the
forty-seven-year-old Edmonds suddenly found himself thrust into the
public consciousness. It became a career highlight when White House
aides chose him as the primary writer of the historic commencement
address. Edmonds said he was delighted about his role in the honor
given to his alma mater.
“I was very proud of the speech,” Edmonds said.
Believed to be the first full-time African American presidential
speechwriter in U.S. history, Edmonds attracted attention for his
behind-the-scenes role in drafting President Clinton’s speech. The
speech by Clinton drew headlines around the nation because he announced
a major research push for an AIDS vaccine. Edmonds said he believed the
African American audience appreciated hearing a presidential speech
that addressed AIDS because the disease has had a devastating impact on
the Black community.
“I think the audience was receptive to the message,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post
were among publications that singled out Edmonds’s efforts on the
Morgan State address. And Edmonds is expected to play an ongoing role
in helping the president craft speeches for a major race relations
initiative that the White House is undertaking.
