Cornel West

Cornel Ronald West is America's most prominent public intellectual — a philosopher, professor, and provocateur whose work spans academic philosophy, political activism, music, and the relentless pursuit of what he calls "prophetic justice." His 1993 book Race Matters became a bestseller and established him as the most visible Black intellectual since James Baldwin, addressing the nihilism threatening Black America with a combination of philosophical rigor and Baptist preacher cadence.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1953, and raised in Sacramento, California, West attended Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in three years, and earned his Ph.D. from Princeton. He has held professorships at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and the Union Theological Seminary, teaching courses in philosophy, religion, and African American studies.

West's intellectual style is singular — he can move from Hegel to hip-hop, from Chekhov to John Coltrane, in a single sentence, making connections that illuminate the human condition. He has been a fixture on television and radio, a frequent guest on Real Time with Bill Maher and The Breakfast Club alike. He has released spoken word albums, appeared in The Matrix films, and run for president. His willingness to criticize leaders of both parties — including Barack Obama — has made him controversial but undeniably authentic.