Cornel West Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Cornel West

  • Thumbwestsmiley

    "War is the Enemy of the Poor": Cornel West and Tavis Smiley on Poverty, MLK, Election 2012

    In part two of our interview with Tavis Smiley and Prof. Cornel West, they discuss growing up in working-class households. "I saw so much poverty growing up," says Smiley, who lived with 13 family members in a three-bedroom trailer and learned that even when he was not optimistic, he could be hopeful. "Hope needs help," Smiley notes. West recalls how he worked with the Black Panthers to organize a general strike while growing...
    Apr 24, 2012 | Story
  • Thumbwestsmiley

    Part 2: Tavis Smiley & Cornel West on Growing Up Poor, Occupy Wall Street and Trayvon Martin Case

    In part two of our interview, Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West discuss growing up in working-class households and compare the amount of money spent on war and the 2012 presidential campaign to funding for programs that assist the one in two Americans who are now poor. They also discuss the Trayvon Martin case and Ted Nugent’s potentially threatening comments about President Obama at the recent National Rifle Association meeting. [includes...
    Apr 19, 2012 | Web Exclusive
  • Button-west-smiley-book

    Tavis Smiley & Cornel West on "The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto"

    The latest census data shows nearly one in two Americans, or 150 million people, have fallen into poverty — or could be classified as low income. We’re joined by Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley, who continue their efforts to spark a national dialogue on the poverty crisis with the new book, "The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto." Smiley, an award-winning TV and radio broadcaster, says President Obama has failed to...
    Apr 19, 2012 | Story
  • Moore_west_web2

    Michael Moore & Cornel West on OWS, Iraq & the Progressive Discontent Obama Faces in '12 Vote

    As Occupy protests against inequality and corporate greed continue across the United States and around the world, we’re joined by Michael Moore, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and activist, and Princeton University Professor Cornel West. "We expect [President Obama] to do the work of the people," Moore says. "The people are not going to go away. So he can either go down as a historic president, who become the FDR of this...
    Oct 24, 2011 | Story
  • West3_web

    Dr. Cornel West: "We Are in a Magnificent Moment of Democratic Awakening"

    Princeton University professor and renowned civil rights activist Cornel West was arrested Friday afternoon during a demonstration in Harlem against alleged racial profiling by the New York City Police Department. West joined a protest against the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, which critics say disproportionately targets people of color. New York City police carried out 600,000 such searches last year, with 87 percent of the targets being...
    Oct 24, 2011 | Story
  • Glover_west_web

    Danny Glover, Cornel West Speak Out at Occupy Protests as MLK Memorial is Dedicated in D.C.

    In the United States, police arrested hundreds of people over the weekend at demonstrations and occupations inspired by Occupy Wall Street. Arrest totals include: 175 in Chicago; 100 in Arizona; 92 in New York City; 19 in Raleigh, North Carolina; 19 in Denver; and 19 in Washington, D.C., including Princeton University Professor Cornel West, on the steps of the Supreme Court. West was arrested shortly after attending the dedication ceremony for...
    Oct 17, 2011 | Story
  • Cornelwestoccupywallstbutto

    Cornel West on Occupy Wall Street: It's the Makings of a U.S. Autumn Responding to the Arab Spring

    "We’re talking about a democratic awakening," said Dr. Cornel West when he spoke with Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman during a visit Tuesday night to the Occupy Wall Street encampment. [includes rush transcript]
    Sep 29, 2011 | Web Exclusive
  • Play_poverty_tour

    "A Declaration of War on the Poor": Cornel West and Tavis Smiley on the Debt Ceiling Agreement

    The veteran broadcaster Tavis Smiley and the author and Princeton University Professor Cornel West are in the midst of a 15-city, cross-country trek they have dubbed "The Poverty Tour: A Call to Conscience." The tour comes on the heels of last week’s deficit agreement, which has been widely criticized for excluding a tax hike on the wealthy, as well as any measures to tackle high unemployment. "Any legislation that doesn’t...
    Aug 09, 2011 | Story
  • Obama_west_smiley

    Cornel West & Tavis Smiley on Obama: "Many of Us Are Exploring Other Possibilities in Coming Election”

    We speak with veteran journalist Tavis Smiley and Princeton University Professor Cornel West about President Barack Obama and the 2012 elections. "He’s rightly associated much more with the oligarchs than with poor people," says West. Adds Smiley, "I don’t think the President would be hurt, necessarily—the country certainly would not be hurt—by a primary challenge that would refocus him on what really matters. It would...
    Aug 09, 2011 | Story