Why all the hate towards Cornell West?

[highprincipleswork]

48. I personally would have liked another choice, because I feel the pain and the hatred due to his

comments, and also know how important it is for people to come together.

Truth is, I also wish the AA community could see past those comments (authorized or not authorized, based on West's standing as a brother) and looked to the overall history of Cornel West, what he has meant, said, done, and stood for. As captured at least pretty well in this article.

https://newrepublic.com/article/121550/cornel-wests-rise-fall-our-most-exciting-black-scholar-ghost

West is not just the person who said those things. He is also the man embraced by Obama as “a genius, a public intellectual, a preacher, an oracle,” and “a loving person.”

He is has a history of being a leading Black intellectual, with a lot to say, and a consistently Progressive point of view. It is from that point of view that he has stood behind Bernie and been critical of Barack. It is from that point of view that if this truly does go down that he will vehemently and ardently defend Black causes and speak eloquently from the Progressive side in general.

Finally, it must be noted and is not noted nearly enough that this experience of effectively "losing" the first Black President in U.S. history undoubtedly carries with it profound feelings, especially for the AA community. That has to be. I mean, we almost should be having grief counseling for the community, because the loss is that large. There is also the concern about when we will see the opportunity again. Of course, we don't really know the answer to that, in reality. And in the mourning of the end of Obama's term, it is still important to move beyond the grief and into clear assessment of what has been accomplished and what is left to be done, particularly from a Liberal or Progressive point of view. Towards that continued fight, it is important to have people like Cornel West in the mix, to get beyond what separates us and to unite in what brings us together. Frankly, that is how we create the conditions where we will see sooner the Second Black President of the United States.

I am sorry there is this huge sentiment against him. It is a warning for people of good faith to be somewhat temperate in their dealings and in their words. I would request, however, that we look beyond some of the actual words to the true intent and lifelong activities of Cornel Wes ---- for the betterment of people of the AA community and in fact for people throughout the U.S., especially those disadvantaged, everywhere.