Cornel West speaks on MLK Jr.'s legacy
Rachel Arndt
Issue date: 2/5/07 Section: Campus News
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"There is no Martin Luther King Jr. without ordinary people," West told a packed Salomon 101.
West, a professor of religion at Princeton, has published 16 books, including the widely acclaimed "Race Matters" in 1993 and "Democracy Matters" in 2004. West's captivating speech, "The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr." was the 11th annual lecture named for the civil rights leader.
Darnell Fine '08, an Africana studies concentrator, introduced West to the audience by saying, "I friended him on Facebook." Unfortunately for Fine, West did not respond to his friendship request.
After praising the University for its recent report on its ties to slavery and President Ruth Simmons for her leadership, West moved on to discuss King. "It's almost like talking about my mama," West said of King. "I love him."
But West avoided turning King into a glorified icon and explored the implications of his legacy. "He frightens me because his standards of greatness so radically call into question who I am," he said.
West cited King's constant questioning of life and society as distinctively powerful. King wanted people to "engage in self-examination - that's a Socratic note," he said. "You have to come to terms with learning how to die in order to learn how to live."
West encouraged the audience to engage in King's brand of self-examination and do the same for the United States. There is a "dogma of white supremacy" alongside which democracy cannot survive in the United States, West said.
Midway through his hour-long speech, West talked about the role religion played in King's life. Speaking as King, West said, "Lord, you promised to be with me always."
"I had some doubts about you in the seminary after reading Nietzsche," he added, provoking laughter from the audience.