The MSC auditorium was filled to capacity last Thursday with anxious Prairie View students awaiting the powerful message of Dr. Cornel West, professor of religion and African-American studies at Princeton University. With eagerness encompassing the auditorium, West’s presence overwhelmed the room into a brief hush. He relayed to students the importance of education, the value of love, and historical preservation.
West’s first point was that the black community cannot deny the past.
There is need, he said, to identify with the fact that slavery happened and if we deny our past we cannot improve our future. He also mentioned the spiritual and social death that black people constantly battle. He said that blacks need spiritual and social nourishment. West said the black community is a market driven culture that is fascinated with “bling-bling.”
West wanted all in attendance to think on what type of legacy they would want to leave on future generations. He told the audience to ask themselves what their purpose in life is and pursue goals to the end. West mentioned that blacks need to produce the next intellectual like W.E.B. Dubois.
Junior political science major Niky Wooding, said, “Dr. West really enlightened us about the value of an education, by not only excelling academically, but also the use of our knowledge to enrich our black communities and children to grow and excel in today’s society.”
Although most people were excited that Dr. West visited Prairie View, there were others who did not care for his message. Graduate student Charles McCall said, “I was not impressed by the rhetoric.” McCall also said that “we should appreciate the professors that we have here with us every day, not just the professors that stop by and charge our university $18,000.”
West later granted an interview to Ebony Simpson of
The Panther.
Q: “What is the most influential advice you have ever received?”
A: “My grandmother told me to always treat people right.”
Q: “What do you think is the most challenging issue facing black people today?”
A: “The most challenging issues facing blacks today are spiritual love of one’s self, political organization, economically oriented, and educational.”
Q: “How do you feel about the last election? Do you believe that John Kerry did not reach black voters?”
A: “John Kerry is about as charismatic as a dead fish. He does not have the charisma or magic to get people to vote for him.”
Q: “What is the future of HBCUs?”
A: “I feel HBCUs will always be around as long as we have courageous black educators.”
Q: “What two books would you recommend young black people to read?”
A: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
Q: “What would have been your approach to the Iraq War situation?”
A: “I would have taken Emmett Till’s mother’s advice and pursued justice. I would not have placed the blame elsewhere. I would have found Osama bin Laden. I mean, that gangster is on dialysis, me and my homies could have found him.”
Q: “I read some of your book, Democracy Matters, and it seems to me as though you do not have strong feelings of confidence towards the Bush administration. Does this tie into your conspiracy of silence?”
A: “I don’t know. I don’t trust the Bush administration to tell the truth. Communication is crucial.”
Q: “What legacy would you like to leave at Prairie View A&M University?”
A: “Love your way through the darkness.