Cornel West

Educator, philosopher and public intellectual Cornel West was born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1953 and raised in Oklahoma, Kansas and California. Influenced by his Baptist upbringing and the social activism of the Black Panthers in California, West has made a career combining his academic interests with a social and political agenda.

West received his B.A. from Harvard in three years, graduating magna cum laude. He pursued his graduate studies in philosophy at Princeton University, completing his Ph.D. in 1980. West's professorial career began at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He went on to teach at Yale Divinity School. In 1988, he became the director of Princeton's African-American Studies Program, revitalizing it with the addition of world-renowned scholars like Toni Morrison. In 1993, he moved to Harvard University. After a very public dispute with Harvard's president, Lawrence Summers, West returned to Princeton University in 2002.

West is a prolific author who has written more than 10 books and is regarded by many as one of the leading philosophers in the United States. In addition to his roles as college professor and writer, West maintains an active speaking schedule making him one of the most well-known public intellectuals in the nation. He has also expanded his activities outside of the ivory tower by appearing in 'The Matrix' trilogy and producing a hip-hop album titled 'Sketches of My Culture.

Check out this and more Black History Month bios @ http://bv.channel.aol.com...oes2012005

What was the "very public dispute" with Harvard's president about??...Anyone know??

Byron said:

heh heh

Lawrence Summers questioned West's scholarship.

I thought he was just great in Matrix Revolutions.

bkw said:

I never did see that one.

50 Cent



LOL, sorry - I'm just not in the serious mood @ the moment.

dreamfactory313 said:

You didn't miss much unfortunately.

bkw said:

He wasn't in that!





Was he?

Yeah, he was!!!

He was one of the wise councilmen of Zion.

Lammastide said:

Byron said:

Yeah, Summers publicly dissed West's involvement with pop culture (movies, etc.) instead of more proflific academic publishing and, particularly, the hip hop CD (which actually was more of a spoken-word cultural study, I understand). West, in turn, accused Summers of academic snobbishness and racism.
[Edited 2/6/05 18:11pm]