Cornel West facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cornel West
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West in 2018
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| Born |
Cornel Ronald West
June 2, 1953 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Princeton University (MA, PhD) |
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Notable work
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| Spouse(s) |
Hilda Holloman
(m. 1977, divorced)Ramona Santiago
(m. 1981; div. 1986)Elleni Gebre Amlak
(m. 1992, divorced)Leslie Kotkin
(m. 2015; div. 2018)Annahita Mahdavi
(m. 2021) |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School |
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| Institutions | Union Theological Seminary Yale University Harvard University Princeton University Dartmouth College University of Paris in Saint-Denis |
| Thesis | Ethics, Historicism and the Marxist Tradition (1980) |
| Doctoral advisor | Raymond Geuss, Sheldon Wolin |
| Doctoral students | Leah Hunt-Hendrix |
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Main interests
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Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American thinker, teacher, and activist. He is known for his work in philosophy, religion, and politics. He often speaks about important social issues.
Throughout his career, West has taught at famous universities like Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. He is a frequent guest on TV and radio, sharing his thoughts on current events. Two of his most important books are Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004).
West has also appeared in movies like The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. He has even released several spoken word and hip hop music albums. In 2020, he was named one of the top thinkers for the COVID-19 era by Prospect magazine. In 2023, he ran for president as an independent candidate.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Cornel West was born on June 2, 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He grew up in Sacramento, California. His mother, Irene Rayshell (Bias), was a teacher and school principal. His father, Clifton Louis West Jr., worked for the U.S. Department of Defense. An elementary school in California is named after his mother.
As a teenager, West was very active. He joined civil rights marches and organized protests at his high school. He wanted his school to offer courses about Black history and culture. He was also the student body president.
In 1970, West went to Harvard College. He studied Near Eastern languages and civilization and graduated with high honors in 1973. After Harvard, he went to Princeton University. He earned his Master of Arts and PhD degrees there in 1980. He was the first African American to get a PhD in philosophy from Princeton. His main paper was about ethics and Marxist ideas.
Academic Career
Cornel West has had a long and impactful career as a professor. He started teaching at Union Theological Seminary. Later, he taught at Yale Divinity School. While at Yale, he joined student protests. These protests were about workers' rights and ending apartheid (a system of racial segregation) in South Africa. He was even arrested during one protest.
He later became a professor at Princeton University. From 1988 to 1994, he directed the program in African American studies. After Princeton, he moved to Harvard University. There, he taught a very popular class on African American studies. He was also the first person to hold the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor position. This allowed him to teach many subjects, including religion and philosophy.
In 2002, West returned to Princeton. He helped create the Center for African American Studies there in 2006. In 2012, he went back to Union Theological Seminary. He returned to Harvard again in 2016. In 2021, he moved back to Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan. He now holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair there.
West has received over 20 honorary degrees and an American Book Award. He has written or helped write more than twenty books. He is a long-time member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He is also a co-founder of the Network of Spiritual Progressives.
Many people compare Cornel West to W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois was another important African-American thinker. Both West and Du Bois are known for their deep thoughts and their disciplined appearance. They often wore suits and ties, showing their serious approach to their work.
In 1997, West became a member of the American Philosophical Society. In 1999, he joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Media and Music
Cornel West is well-known for his appearances in movies and music. He played Councillor West in The Matrix Reloaded (2001) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). He also voiced this character in the video game Enter the Matrix. He provided philosophical comments for all three Matrix films.
He has also appeared in several documentary films. In the 2008 film Examined Life, he talks about philosophy while driving through Manhattan. He compares philosophy to jazz and blues music. He also appeared with musician Bill Withers in the 2009 documentary Still Bill.
West is a frequent guest on the political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher. He also co-hosts a podcast called The Tight Rope with Tricia Rose.
Beyond his academic work, West has released several music albums. In 2001, he released his first album, Sketches of My Culture. This was followed by Street Knowledge in 2004. In 2007, he released Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations. This album featured collaborations with famous artists like Prince and Jill Scott. He has also been featured on songs by hip hop artists like Immortal Technique and Brother Ali.
Activism and Politics
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Cornel West is a strong activist for social justice. He has been involved in many important projects. These include the Million Man March and Russell Simmons's Hip-Hop Summit. He has also worked with public figures like Al Sharpton.
In 2000, West advised Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley. When Bradley lost, West supported Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Later, he urged voters in swing states to vote for John Kerry to stop George W. Bush from winning.
West has also spoken out about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2002, he joined a civil disobedience act in front of the U.S. State Department. He said, "We must keep in touch with the humanity of both sides." In 2011, he asked the University of Arizona to stop investing in companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
West supports People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He believes that chickens should be treated humanely. He has said that chickens are "interesting individuals with personalities and interests every bit as developed as the dogs and cats with whom many of us share our lives."
In 2011, West supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. This movement protested economic inequality. He was arrested during an Occupy Wall Street protest in Harlem. This protest was against the New York Police Department's "stop and frisk" policy.
2024 Presidential Campaign
On June 5, 2023, Cornel West announced he would run for president in the 2024 United States presidential election. He first sought the nomination of the People's Party. Then, he decided to seek the Green Party nomination. His campaign focused on ideas like Medicare for All (healthcare for everyone), public housing, and taking action on climate change. He also wanted to greatly reduce the U.S. military budget.
On October 5, 2023, West announced he would run as an independent candidate instead. By August 2024, his campaign was not actively campaigning and had low support.
Published Works
- Prophesy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity (1982)
- The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism (1989)
- Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life (with bell hooks, 1991)
- The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought (1991)
- Race Matters (1993)
- Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Race in America (1994)
- Jews and Blacks: A Dialogue on Race, Religion, and Culture in America (with rabbi Michael Lerner, 1995)
- The Future of the Race (with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1996)
- Restoring Hope: Conversations on the Future of Black America (1997)
- The Cornel West Reader (1999)
- Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (2004)
- Hope on a Tightrope: Words & Wisdom (2008)
- Brother West: Living & Loving Out Loud (2009)
- The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto (with Tavis Smiley, 2012)
- Black Prophetic Fire (2014)
- The Radical King (2016)
Filmography
Film
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003) as Councilor West
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003) as Councilor West
- Street Fight (2005)
- Examined Life (2008)
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) as Don Sexton
- #Bars4Justice (2015) as himself
- Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (2016) as himself
- No Safe Spaces (2019) as himself.
Discography
Albums
- Sketches of My Culture (2001)
- Street Knowledge (2004)
- Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations (2007) (with BMWMB)
Guest appearances
- E-40 – "Born in the Struggle" from Revenue Retrievin': Overtime Shift (2011)
- Bootsy Collins – "Freedumb" from Tha Funk Capital of the World (2011)
- Immortal Technique – "Sign of the Times" from The Martyr (2011)
- Brother Ali – "Letter to My Countrymen" from Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (2012)
- Terence Blanchard – Choices (2009)
- Terence Blanchard – Breathless (2015)
- Terence Blanchard – Live (2018)
See also
In Spanish: Cornel West para niños
- American philosophy
- Black existentialism
- Christian left
- List of American philosophers
