Courage to Fight for Democracy
"I am obsessed with confronting the pervasive evil of unjustified suffering and unnecessary social misery in our world. And I am determined to explore the intellectual sources and existential resources that feed our courage to be, courage to love and courage to fight for democracy. Three related and fundamental questions motivate my writings: What does is meant to be human? What does it mean to be modern? What does it mean to be American?"
-- The Cornel West Reader
Heal Your Wound
"Aggressive militarism is false security – a mere diversion from attending to the necessary domestic policies of compassion that can 'heal your wound' (Hosea 5:13)"
-- Democracy Matters
The Public Good
"As a consequence of nihilistic corruptions, the reverence for, faith in, and deep commitment to democracy are so undermined in American today that there is not only a disillusionment with our politicians but also a loss of belief for too many people in the efficacy of government altogether, and in the honesty of corporate America as a whole. Yet many citizens still yearn to hear authentic expression of democratic values and to believe that policies being pursued are for the public good, not narrowly serving electoral purposes or elite interests."
-- Democracy Matters
Adjusted to Injustice
"It takes courage to look in the mirror and see past your reflection to who you really are when you take off the mask, when you're not performing the same old routines and social roles. It takes courage to ask – how did I become so well adjusted to injustice?"
-- Hope on a Tight Rope
The Future
"There is moral substance in the fact that human will can make the future different and possibly better".
--Hope on a Tightrope
Spiritual Warfare
"This ugly assault on the Black musical tradition is a form of neoliberal spiritual warfare, a market-driven attack on the very souls of Black folk."
-- Race Matters
Hope
"For as long as hope remains and meaning is preserved, the possibility of overcoming oppression stays alive."
-- Race Matters
Can it Happen to Me?
"Affirming poor people is dangerous. It means that you first acknowledge their existence. Acknowledging the poor opens the door to perilous thoughts. We are forced to consider: 'Can it happen to me?'"
-- The RICH and the REST of US
Struggles for Justice
"The fight for fairness has deep roots in America's great struggles for justice and equality. The issue of poverty, like slavery and the oppression of women, was considered by most to be the natural order of things. The poor face the same dilemmas as oppressed Blacks and women whose fates were tolerated, legitimized, and rationalized because wealthy, dominant forces needed a permanent underclass to maintain their lavish lifestyles."
-- The RICH and the REST of US
Love and Justice
"The Black prophetic tradition is the leaven in the American democratic loaf. In its gallant struggles against slavery in America, Jim Crow, and white supremacy, this tradition enacted love and justice, not bigotry and revenge."
-- The RICH and the REST of US
