4 minute read
About the Speakers
Two of the most original and important American philosophical minds of our time, Dr. Cornel West and Thomas Chatterton Williams do not agree on everything but are committed to the absolute condemnation of no one. Together, they will explore whether we can cultivate a redemptive culture that transcends polarization, how institutions can be tolerant and open cultural spaces while being less captive to fleeting outbursts over transgressions, and how we can outgrow the reflexive reactions of people who believe they know the “correct” political opinions. Issues of race, cancel culture, philosophy, and art will surely weave together tonight in a wide-ranging intellectual reflection on this cultural moment.
Dr. Cornel West
Dr. Cornel West is a prominent and provocative intellectual. He is passionate about communicating with a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.
His career in academia has been remarkable. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in three years and obtaining his master’s degree and doctorate in philosophy from Princeton University, Dr. West went on to teach at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. He currently serves as the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Princeton.
Having written 20 books and edited 13, Dr. West is best known for his works “Race Matters” and “Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism,” as well as his memoir “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.” His most recent book, “Black Prophetic Fire,” offers an unflinching look at 19th and 20th century African American leaders and their visionary legacies.
Dr. West is a frequent guest on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” as well as CNN, C-SPAN, and Democracy Now! He made his film debut in “The Matrix” and has appeared in over 25 documentaries and films, including “Examined Life,” “Call & Response,” and “Sidewalk and Stand.” Dr. West has also produced three spoken word albums, including 2007’s “Never Forget,” in which he collaborated with Prince, Jill Scott, Andre 3000, Talib Kweli, KRS-One, and the late Gerald Levert.
Thomas Chatterton Williams
A cultural critic for extraordinary times, Thomas Chatterton Williams brings his insightful perspective to the subjects of race, Black identity, Black history, cancel culture, social justice, and inequality in America and the world. His thought-provoking lectures touch upon some of the most urgent issues confronting American culture today, and are intertwined with his own family’s compelling multigenerational story of transformation from what is called Black to what is perceived to be white.
Called “a remarkable new literary voice,” Williams is the author of two highly acclaimed books: “Self Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race” and “Losing My Cool: Love, Literature, and a Black Man’s Escape from the Crowd.”
Williams is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and The Atlantic. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Vanity Fair, The London Review of Books, and Le Monde, and has been collected in “The Best American Essays” and “The Best American Travel Writing” series. In the summer of 2020, Williams was a co-author of “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate.” The letter was published in Harper’s Magazine and signed by 153 prominent intellectuals.
Williams is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York University. He is currently a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, as well as a visiting professor of the humanities and a senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. He has been a national fellow at New America, a Guggenheim fellow, and a recipient of the Berlin Prize from the American Academy. He writes from Paris, where he lives with his family.
