Cornel West

Dr. Cornel West is the Class of 1943 University Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University. In addition, he is a prominent democratic intellectual, philosopher, activist, and author. He has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. West's work focuses on American society and the roles that race, gender, and class have on it. His contribution to the field of philosophy is grounded in the African American Baptist church, Marxism, pragmatism and transcendentalism. Some of his notable works include, Race Matters, which analyzes racial debates, and Democracy Matters, which argues that if America is to become a better steward of democratization around the world, we must first wake up to the long history of imperialist corruption. West can be heard weekly on "Smiley & West," with Tavis Smiley on the national public radio program by Public Radio International. In short, Cornel West has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.