W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series: Dr. West

Dr. Cornel West
"An Evening with Dr. Cornel West"

Thursday, October 8, 2009, 7 p.m.

One of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, Cornel West has been a champion for racial justice since childhood. His writing, speaking and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. West earned two bachelor’s degrees from Harvard in three years, magna cum laude. After earning his Ph.D. at Princeton, he became a professor religion and director of the Afro-American Studies program there. West has also taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. West burst on to the national scene in 1993 with his bestselling book, Race Matters, a searing analysis of racism in American democracy. In his book, Democracy Matters West analyzes the arrested development of democracy both in American and in the crisis-ridden Middle East. In his book, Hope on a tightrope, he offers courageous commentary on issues that affect the lives of all Americans. Themes include race, leadership, faith, family, philosophy, and love and service.