(Carson, CA) – Cornel West, the prominent author, professor, and provocative public intellectual, will be the featured speaker during the Dymally Distinguished Speaker Series on Friday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Torodome Gymnasium at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). The lecture is FREE.
With the theme “Rise of Racism in America: Revisiting ‘Race Matters,’” the Dymally Distinguished Speaker Series is hosted by CSUDH’s Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political & Economic Institute. “Race Matters” was published in 1993, a year after the L.A. riots. It features a collection of West’s essays on race in America, which remain relevant today.
West is the author of 20 books and has edited more than a dozen. His work focuses on the role of race, gender, and class in American society, and the means by which people act and react to their “radical conditionedness.” West draws intellectual contributions from multiple traditions, including Christianity, the black church, Marxism, neopragmatism, and transcendentalism.
Along with “Race Matters,” West is best known for his book “Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight against Imperialism,” and for his memoir, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.” His most recent book, “Black Prophetic Fire,” examines 19th and 20th century African American leaders and their visionary legacies.
A philosopher, political activist, and social critic, West has been featured in numerous film and television appearances, and is a frequent commentator on CNN, PBS, and C-SPAN.
West is a professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University, and holds the title of professor emeritus at Princeton University. He also has taught at Yale University, the Union Theological Seminary, and the University of Paris.
Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political & Economic Institute at CSUDH is a non-partisan public engagement think-tank founded to study and research African American leadership, public policy impacting African American communities and prepare future generations for public service.
