Fast Five with: Dr Cornel West

Dr Cornel West is a man of many things, and while most will identify him as one of America’s most provocative public intellectuals and prominent champions for racial justice, he’s also a bluesman, a son and an actor in the Matrix. We got deep with Dr West in our Fast Five.
What are your thoughts on racial equality and racism in Australia?
Like the United States, Australia is a settler colonial experiment in democracy with a legacy of white supremacy and an attempt to sustain a fragile social experiment.
Think Inc founder, Desh Amila, said that your visit to Australia couldn’t be more timely and relevant, what kind of change/insight are you hoping to bring to the country?
I come to learn and listen, and I come to reflect on my own country’s settler colonial experiment in democracy.
You’ve penned and contributed to over 20 books, spoken across the world and received countless accolades, but I have to ask, what drew you to acting in the Matrix? and would you revisit your acting career?
The genius of the Wachowskis.
You’ve been labelled as a lot of things, a philosopher, an academic, a social theorist, an author, an educator and a poet, but what do you personally identify with the most?
I am my momma’s child, my daddy’s kid, and I aspire to be a jazzman in the life of the mind and a bluesman in the world of ideas.
Do you think there will ever be a point in your life where you can sit back, relax and be proud of where the world is at?
No!  We live in catastrophic times.
When & Where: MCEC, Melbourne – June 12