"I want to say something tonight that thoroughly unsettles you."

Cornel West kept this promise throughout the hour-long speech he delivered on Monday, Jan. 23 at the Lenfest Center for the Performing Arts. Speaking in front of a packed house, West addressed issues from corporate greed to white supremacy, from poverty in America to terrorism--examining the reactions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and President George W. Bush to random acts of violence.

Students leapt to their feet offering West two standing ovations after he explained just how much "Race Matters" and "Democracy Matters" in our world today. During his speech, West discussed how those two issues, also the titles of his two most famous books, need to be championed by the next generation of Americans.

Watch excerpts from West's talk:

"Who are you really when you take off the mask?"

"You can imagine what people are going to say about us in 150 years..."

West likens Americans' reaction to September 11 to African-Americans' daily feelings of suppression.
 

Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.

Lead supervisor:      Prof. Claudette Artwick

Reporting supervisor: Prof. Doug Cumming

Editing supervisor:  Prof. Pamela Luecke

Technical supervisor:  Michael Todd