Independent presidential candidate Cornel West revealed colleague academic Melina Abdullah as his vice presidential choice on Wednesday, April 10.
Those who feel America is a post-racial society tend to be either die-hard conservatives or so naïve, they might believe there are snow-capped mountains in Florida. But by any measure, public education, the criminal injustice system, poverty, etc., White privilege and its cohort racism, remain the prime barriers to Blacks receiving actual justice and equality.
Racism is as real as ever and Black lives have always mattered. However, most people, including many Blacks, deny or minimize the devastating effect of racism and tend to act as though somehow, Black lives are less valuable, even less sacred than white lives. The Black Lives Matter movement has the potential for strengthening sustainable unified Black leadership which would distinguish it from the many failed attempts to build a Black united front since the civil rights era. Hopefully, it will succeed, but remaining unapologetically Black is a daunting challenge and time will tell.
People who tend to minimize the importance of race are also more likely to minimize its cohort, white privilege.
– Dr. Cornel West, an outspoken activist, author and professor, recently shared his views on pressing issues during a speech at the University of Houston-Downtown. West, a professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary and professor emeritus at Princeton University, addressed topics ranging from the Black Lives Matter movement to peace in the Middle East. He also commended educators, saying that, “being a teacher is a sacred calling.” He urged students to “be a long-distance runner in your education as you learn how to Socratically engage in critical reflection.” West praised UHD as a university where
From September 24-27 activists-intellectuals, social and racial justice activists, educators, ministers, teachers, professors, social workers and other professionals, students and everyday people from across the country gathered to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Organization Us and the African American Cultural Center, and of the introduction of the organization’s philosophy, Kawaida, and the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles) at the Nguzo Saba 2015 Conference and Awards Luncheon held here in Los Angeles.