Dr. Cornel West is a polarizing activist who is famously known as a professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also an author and considered a Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He has taught at Yale, Harvard and the University of Paris. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Sacramento, CA. His mother was an educator and his father worked for the Department of Defense. In his early years, West was active in the civil rights movement and organized protests at his high school. In college, his activism led to his arrest and caused his transfer to the University of Paris. He admired the militancy and defiance of the Black Panther Party which he credits for his views on race and politics. Although he did not join the Black Panther Party, he did volunteer with local breakfast, prison and church programs. Cornel West is also the first African American to graduate Princeton University with a PhD in philosophy. West is credited with creating one of the world’s leading centers of African American studies at Princeton University. His opinions are sought after the world over.
He is prominent in race studies as he teaches courses throughout the United States on Race in America. Currently, he is being pursued for his opinions on the current political climate and the upcoming election as he is an avid supporter of Bernie Sanders. He has been critical of Democratic party members such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. His criticism of revered Democrats often lands him in hot water. Recently, comedian and popular podcast host, Joe Rogan, interviewed Cornel regarding his thoughts on the current election season.
Based on his background, Cornel’s opinions on gentrification and race are significant. Mr. West was interviewed by Dan La Botz of New Politics where he touched on the impact of gentrification. “If you actually have your feet on the ground, you understand the ways in which gentrification is setting in,” stated Cornel. “The vicious attack on public education, and the privatization of public education, that is in many ways an attack on poor children of color. We saw it in the Chicago Teachers’ strike, right — and we were with them in deep solidarity. Six-hundred and eighty-four schools — only one out of four schools have arts and music programs. Six-hundred and eighty-four schools—and 200 nurses for all of those precious children, over 80 percent of them black and brown and over 87 percent of them poor or near poverty. So the issue of race — racism, white supremacy — is still very, very much alive and doing damage to people’s lives. If you keep track only of the breakthroughs of black faces in high places you’re going to think that it’s a different post-racial age.”
Cornel understands that we are not living in a post racial society just because the U.S. has had an African American president. Contrarily, the election of President Obama has pushed the country back in some ways. Mr. West has a view regarding race and the living conditions of African Americans that many others would not be able to identify. His studies, time abroad and lived experience provide background information that support his professional opinions. Although he has not yet made a consistent argument for or against gentrification, his opinions in this area would be extremely valuable.
