it was my understanding that both are appearing, but not together. They each have an hour.

Sounds very much like them both appearing before the NAACP last week.

I think it's pretty smart on Obama's part.

For Democratic presidential candidates in particular to speak in "black" churches when running for the office. These churches have traditionally served as a community resource as well as a house of worship, which has alwasy been the justification for that. If you take a look at a stereotypical evengelical megachurch today, you're going to see strong parallels. Just as the traditional "black" churches have been a place for those were forced to remain separate to gather together to support one another and to be a multi-use facility within the greater African-American community, these evangelical megachurches have become substitutes for much of our greater secular society for these people who have chosen to make themselves separate. In addition to offering religious programs, these sprawling facilities offer health clubs, child care, private schools, meeting spaces, social clubs, various support groups... even coffee shops and restaurants in some of them. They are, by any reasonable definition, multi-use facilities.

I think Obama is making a smart move and just building on a long standing Democratic Party tradition of speaking to specific community groups within their own preferred setting. I'm just not sure how much common ground he's going to find with this audience. But then again, Republican candidates usually address the NAACP.