Dr. King and I
Princeton professor speaks on MLK’s life and legacy
By Mary Frances Czarsty, assistant news editor
Posted on January 18, 2007

Cornel West, a professor of religion at Princeton University, only had one goal for his Monday night lecture on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

“I hope I say something that thoroughly unsettles you,” said Cornel West.

West spoke to a packed Wilson Hall Auditorium as the keynote speaker for the program in King’s honor.

 “Martin Luther King is not to be domesticated,” West said. “He was a dangerous man. It’s easy for us to celebrate him now, but back when he was here, smiling and walking, it took courage to walk beside him.”

JMU President Linwood Rose opened the ceremony by encouraging the audience to “reaffirm our commitment as a community of doers.”

West’s speech focused on the forces that shaped King’s life, emphasizing that his message was the result of a “rich tradition of people that have a deep grounding in sorrow,” and a constant Socratic questioning of oneself and one’s nation.

West said it was this tradition of sorrow and examination of life that led King to believe he could help others to overcome years of self-hate perpetuated by the establishments of slavery and later Jim Crow.

“It was about saying ‘I’m not going to be scared anymore,’” West said. “It was not based on putting white people down. It was a message based on resisting ‘niggerization’ to love yourself enough to raise questions about yourself and society to stand up and join others.”
Confronting humanity was part of King’s primary message, West said.

“He was a man who told the unarmed truth, not assuming he possessed it,” West said. “To keep track of the dark corners of your soul, takes courage.”

King could not have helped shatter the complacency of black people across the nation without rebelling against the plans his family had for him professionally. According to West, this is one of the most important aspects of King’s legacy to today’s generation.

“How do you shatter conformity and complacency?” he asked. “It’s so easy to pose in order to be successful, but please, never let your generation confuse economic security with ethical integrity.”

While the church would always play an important role in King’s life, West said, he would be shocked to see some of the things happening in today’s world.

“He would say, ‘I don’t care about your mega church. Where’s your mega love?’” West said. 

The speech was followed by a candle-lighting ceremony, and director of the center for multicultural student services Arthur Dean gave the closing remarks.

Graduate student and co-coordinator of the celebration, La Tasha Smith, thought West’s speech captured exactly the theme of the weeklong celebration:  “The strength of a word, the passion of a dream, be the change by living his vision.”

Said Smith: “It was exactly the impact I was looking for. He echoed a lot of things the committee wanted to be brought out. Personally, it motivated me to do more.”

Kim Turner, assistant director for CMSS, said the program was phenomenal.

“Each part connected in a way that when it was his turn, people were ready to hear him,” Turner said. “People have been walking into our office all day saying how much they got from the program.”