Dr. Cornel West comes to Rutgers

Dr. Cornel West comes to Rutgers: "
Wow. Wow is the only word that can describe his presence and speech. I was first introduced to Dr. Cornel West when I had to read his book, 'Race Matters' in high school. That booked was wrapped in so academic jargon, I could barely wrap my mind around it, but now I am older and can probably better understand it now.

I was excited when I heard he was coming to Rutgers to speak because I know he had a lot to say in his speech on 'Race and Democracy in the Age of Obama.' What I did not know was that he was a man of witty expressions and comic relief. I believe that is the best way to lecture to a group of college kids because we do not want to have to pull out a dictionary during a speech just to comprehend a point. Dr. West did an excellent job of expresing his ideas without losing his audience because he made us feel comfortable.

On to the speech!

His speech shed som much light on the struggle of African American people, in addition to the history of this country. You have to know the past, to understand the present. He talked of the many greats such as Sojourner Truth, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and many more; key word 'GREATS'. The problem is that many people, especially African American people think that Obama is 'great,' but Dr. West broke it down about how he is successful. It all made sense. I am a fan of Obama, but there is a difference between being successful and being great. Will people remember your name because you accomplished something by going with the current or going against the current for a greater cause?

Many of the greats made a difference because they made a powerful impact, but doing something out of the ordinary, being a 'misfit' as Dr. West would call it. Is Obama a misfit? Its a question that can be argued by either side, I know he is still early in his presidency, but what has he done so far? He is trying to get the white politicans to listen and develop new programs, but is he demanding that they do(misfit)? In order for Obama to become 'great' he has to make an effort to put a dent in the old ways of this country, go against the grain not to be popular, but because it is only right.

Dr. West talked about the 'black agenda' and how the black agenda is not only for blacks, but has to be universal. Agreed. We(blacks) can try to make a change in our circumstance, but we would have to develop ways to change the people that control our circumstance as well. The 'black agenda' is not ALL good, you have to incorporate the 'funk'... the good and the bad. We have to get to the root of the problem and not just the problem itself i.e. white supremacy, black self hatred, racism, sexism, and etc. Dr. West said 'Don't talk about truth unless your allowing the suffering to speak,' the ultimate truth is the pure reality, not the romanicized side because then only half of the people can relate.

We as a people have to do better and stop ignoring what has happened(slavery, oppression, etc) and acknowledge it because keeping it suppressed is only hindering us. So I leave you with this quote of Dr. Cornel West 'folks cant ride your back unless it's bent.'

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