Cornel West is an American philosopher, activist author, and public intellectual whose interests are focused on the role of race, gender, and class in American society. West was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and while growing up, West would march in civil rights demonstrations and protests and fought for equal rights while in high school. He went on to graduate magna cum laude in Near Eastern languages and civilization from Harvard University and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University, making him the first African American to earn this accomplishment from Princeton University. West began his career working as an assistant professor at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and went to Yale Divinity School with a joint appointment in American Studies where he began participating in campus protests. During his academic career, West went on to also be the professor of religion and director of the African-American Studies program at Princeton. He was also professor of African-American studies at Harvard University and was then appointed to Alphonse Fletcher University Professor. He has also held professorships and fellowships at Dartmouth College, Pepperdine University, and University of Paris West has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has been co-founder of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. As an author, West has published books which include ‘Race Matters,’ and ‘Democracy Matters.’ He has been co-host of the radio program, Smiley and West, and is co-host of the podcast The Tight Rope..

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