Martin Luther King Jr. may be 42 years deceased, but Dr. Cornel West showed Friday night that King's teachings are everlasting.
West reiterated King's messages throughout UB's 34th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Event at The Center for the Arts. Those in attendance nodded in agreement as West preached the word of Dr. King during a one-hour lecture, followed by a 50-minute question-and-answer session with the audience.
West hit upon a bevy of topics affecting America today, but it all came back to Dr. King and one existential idea.
'Learning how to die means what? You're forced to examine assumptions and presumptions you had,' West said. 'It's called education, and Brother Martin learned how to die.'
He began the lecture by thanking the Buffalo community and UB's leaders, from President John B. Simpson to SA President Ernesto Alvarado, for making this event possible.
To Simpson, West is one of the best individuals to speak of King's legacy.
'The annual Martin Luther King celebration has been a profound and important commemoration at UB, and Cornel West is a charismatic man who is ideally suited for this event,' Simpson said.
Sherryl Weems, Director of UB's Educational Opportunity Center, agreed that West's credentials made him the right man for the event.
'Brother West has a complex mind and safeguards a complicated soul,' Weems said. 'My favorite reflection of his: you can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people.'
After acknowledging the people that made the commemoration possible, West saluted King with a simple, but heartfelt message. To West, King should be remembered for what he was: a fighter for the quest of unarmed truth.
'We love you Brother Martin, we need you, we will never forget you,' West said. 'You will never undergo the process of Santaclaus-ification.'
King was one of the figures that helped West learn how to die. Now a 56-year-old author and Princeton professor, West was a child filled with rage who, according to him, was destined for jail. At one point, he hit one of his teacher's and was kicked out of school.
But things turned around. King and many others inspired West. In high school, West began to read and fight for Civil Rights, and a few years later, he was a 17-year-old Sacramento kid traveling the length of the United States to attend Harvard University.
West mentioned how King's quest and his objection to the Vietnam War weren't popular, but King wanted to bring everyone together.
'Anybody that is serious about the quest for unarmed truth must be willing to pay the price,' West said. 'King had the same disapproval rates as George W. Bush. When he came against the war, everyone was against him. Black folks were against him.'
West's appreciation of King showed during Friday's lecture. West spoke of King's life as a normal child as a point to inspire those that they can succeed.
'[King] wasn't always Martin Luther King Jr.,' West said. 'He was once little Martin just running around the fields of Atlanta.'
He made this point to show that progress could be made.
West believes some progress was made with President Barack Obama's election in Nov. 2008, but people were blindsided by the change rhetoric Obama spilled in his speeches.
Even though West campaigned for Obama during 67 events, he won't be sold until he sees results, and right now he's entirely skeptical of Obama.
'I told him, ‘I'll break-dance in the night [if you win], but I'd wake up the next day as his critic,' ' West said, 'He was seduced to those tied to the strong and the ones with money.'
This abidance to powerful Americans has left many problems unsolved, including many problems affecting poor African Americans. Part of West believes that Obama has alienated these people while in office.
'I believe in the rule of law. How come no torture [overseas] is investigated, but Jamal on the corner with a crack rock is prosecuted to the fullest extent,' West said. 'President Obama needs to be protected, but also needs to be corrected.'
The most powerful messages were made during the question-and-answer portion. Concerned Western New York citizens voiced their worries in their questions and sought West for help. Topics including education, the dying breed of young African American teens, and unconditional love were mentioned.
On the topic of poor Americans of all races getting together in peace, West said that this is as important as ever. According to him, America sends the wrong message to these people, leaving them with little to no hope for the future.
It's up to Americans to forego individual differences and come together for change.
'Everyday people are too little to rescue, but big companies are too big to fail. We fail, and it's ok, but the banks don't fail,' West said. 'We need grassroots organizing, not Astroturf connecting.'
According to West, these examples are driving down America. There are not enough examples of success, and no positive role models to inspire youths. Until this changes, motivation will be lacking.
'If you witness wise examples, it equals wise judgments,' West said. 'When you see concrete examples of compassion, they become contagious.'
But whatever the topic, whatever the issue, it was all reverted back to Dr. King and his messages. As King gained inspiration from President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionists in the 19th century, modern Americans can use King's words towards the movement of what's right.
'Martin Luther King Jr. is not an isolated individual to put on a pedestal; he's a wave in an ocean,' West said.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
