Who is Dr Cornel West? All about the activist amid 2024 presidential bid announcement

Dr. Cornel West. (Photo via Getty Images)
Dr. Cornel West. (Photo via Getty Images)

American philosopher Cornel West announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on June 5, 2023. The 70-year-old Oklahoma native took to his Twitter handle to share a video announcing the news, stating that he is the candidate for the People’s Party.

In the video announcement, he said:

“I have decided to run for truth and justice, which takes the form of running for president of the United States as a candidate for the People’s Party. I enter for the quest for truth. I enter for the quest of justice. And the presidency is just one vehicle we pursue that truth and justice.”

He further said that he cares more about the voters and their well-being than other political parties:

“I come from a tradition where I care about you. I care about the quality of your life. I care about whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, health care for all, de-escalating the destruction of the planet.”

Further, he slammed both Republicans and Democrats, calling former American president Donald Trump a "neo-fascist" while President Joe Biden "a milquetoast liberal.” Dr. Cornel West also said that his presidential campaign would aim at ending “wars," "ecological collapse,” poverty, and mass incarceration.


All about Dr. Cornel West, the 2024 presidential candidate

Born on June 2, 1953, Dr. Cornel West is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma. As per his website, he is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. Aside from teaching the works of Bonhoeffer, the 70-year-old personality also takes courses in African American Critical Thought, and Philosophy of Religion.

He also teaches other subjects like politics, literature, the classics, music, and cultural theory. He aims at preserving the legacy of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., who focused on telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.

In 1973, Dr. Cornel West graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization. He then obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1975 and 1980 respectively. He is a former Harvard University Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy and Princeton University Professor Emeritus.

As of writing, Cornel West has authored 20 books and edited 13. Some of his best-known works are Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and his own book, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.

His latest work, Black Prophetic Fire, delves into nineteenth and twentieth-century African American leaders and their visions.

Dr. West has partnered with MasterClass.com to teach several influential courses, including a class on Empathy with Pharrell Williams, MasterClass's first-ever multi-instructor class on Black History, Black Freedom & Black Love, and Dr. West's standalone course on Philosophy.

So far, there are 11 candidates for the position of America's president. The Democrats running are Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

From the Republicans, the contestants are Donald J. Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, and Mike Pence.

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Edited by Nikita Nikhil
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