The Life and Thoughts of Dr. Cornel West | UNAPOLOGETIC

“That’s part of an empire that has grown rich and grown powerful but refuses to grow up” - Cornel West.

In an impassioned and lengthy conversation, Dr Cornel West unapologetically shares moments from his life that shaped him and his ideas and inspired his decision to run as a US presidential candidate.

He reflects on his upbringing in the West household, the influence that his parents had on him, how his grandmother was left to bleed to death on the stairs of a whites-only hospital at the age of 31 and how his great uncle was lynched.

Dr West also speaks about the influence that Malcolm X and Dr Martin Luther King had on him, his years studying and teaching at Harvard, Princeton and Yale, and how the civil rights movement has evolved throughout his life. He addresses his “critical” support for and eventual disillusionment with Barack Obama, as well as the reasons behind his current presidential run, Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and the “hypocrisy”, “mendacity” and “criminality” of the US political system.

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro and welcome
01:29 - Growing up in the West household
11:04 - On Malcolm X and MLK and the impact they had on Prof West
14:32 - Student life at Ivy League schools in the 70s
19:50 - Harvard and the civil rights movement
26:34 - The US' philosophical problem
30:14 - On becoming a globalist and getting arrested
35:47 - Conflict with Lawrence Summers
46:21 - Overcoming cancer and Barack Obama
57:07 - Reviewing Obama, drone wars, Nafta
01:01:20 - Bernie, Trump and riots in the capital
01:04:45 - Why Cornel West is running for president
01:11:55 - What is real joy
01:19:17 - A year of campaigning
01:26:14 - Addressing controversies and death threats
01:32:00 - Is your candidacy just making it more likely for Trump to win?

[TomT-boyr]

Great speaker and man. thanks for the interview ✊🏻

[susanhall]

I just so appreciate this man, his wisdom & actions. Thank you Dr West for your life of caring. It is so true that so many US politicians are greedy, which you can see by the Is real pac money they are taking, knowing that over 20, 000 children have died, have ad to have amputations, orphaned & all are traumatized.

[joannagodwin-adamson]

His directness is refreshing. .A face of America, that is still being denied, because it has been & currently is; so inextricably bound up with colonial ( corporate) imperiialism & empires.. He is a crucial force in how America will confront & come to terms with itself in the 21st century..

[HeywardSanders-dyvi]

The brother is holding strong. Respect

[kevinjohnson]

Dr. West is a thinking, feeling, right doing, soulful- GENIUS. Amazing intellectual!

[Hammerk]

If I were American this is the only person I would vote for.

[lorascelsi]

Third Party only choice for decency and humility

[Annissa-dvkc]

“Ther’s got to be a third way!” INDEED.🌿🕊️

[dtlastraightahead]

Amazing interview. Best Cornell West interview I've seen by far

[JohnGeary-ee]

Thanks ME Eye for presenting Dr West as a British person interested in politics. Good to hear a real paradigm change.

[waynemcmillan]

What a great man. I hope Dr West would make a trip to Australia one day. We need to hear his insights and wisdom here in Australia.

[Kimberly_Chappell]

I had no idea Cornel West was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He just mentioned Marcus Garvey and my grandmother was also born in that part of Oklahoma and her family migrated to Bakersfield, California when she was a child. She told us the story of Marcus Garvey coming to Oklahoma to organize when her father(a great, great man whom I share a birthday with) met him and he(Marcus Garvey) actually named my great aunt on that occasion. My grandmother was most certainly a revolutionary in her own right and never abandoned her principles under any circumstances. Thank you for this! SO much valuable information and perspective. 👏🏼

[sandipbarman]

You are my north star. Love you ever from india

[SomeDude-gnkc]

Cornel west ❤sending love brother from Australia 🇦🇺

[joansambury-alleyne]

I am now 75 years old and I remember those days so clearly. I still feel to vomit when I remember the deaths of Malcolm and Martin. It was a time of great black creativity and pride. I feel lucky to have grown up during this era. I am Trinidadian and the Afro American and the south African were at the fore front of change. Let’s not forget the white conscious objectors.

[agathabobb]

If you want real change and hope in 2024, Vote for Dr. Cornel West.

[JillT]

Excellent interview, good job giving Prof West time. I can listen to his erudition and wisdom all day. A brilliant and principled man.

[imbalancedstatus]

Empires are like narcissist, they don't grow up

[martincane]

Cornel is the love train and I wish him aal the best

[cubannel]

Cornel West is the best candidate for President we have today and I will be voting for him whether on the ballot or writing in his name. Vote West/Abdullah for President 2024 because Progressives never give up, never surrender