Race Matters

by Cornel West (Author, Narrator), J.D. Jackson (Narrator)

The twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of the groundbreaking classic, with a new introduction

First published in 1993, on the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles riots, Race Matters became a national best seller that has gone on to sell more than half a million copies. This classic treatise on race contains Dr. West's most incisive essays on the issues relevant to black Americans, including the crisis in leadership in the Black community, Black conservatism, Black-Jewish relations, myths about Black sexuality, and the legacy of Malcolm X. The insights Dr. West brings to these complex problems remain relevant, provocative, creative, and compassionate.

In a new introduction for the twenty-fifth-anniversary edition, Dr. West argues that we are in the midst of a spiritual blackout characterized by imperial decline, racial animosity, and unchecked brutality and terror as seen in Baltimore, Ferguson, and Charlottesville. Calling for a moral and spiritual awakening, Dr. West finds hope in the collective and visionary resistance exemplified by the Movement for Black Lives, Standing Rock, and the Black freedom tradition.

Now more than ever, Race Matters is an essential audiobook for all Americans, helping us to build a genuine multiracial democracy in the new millennium.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Philosophy, History, Sociology, Social Justice

5 pages, Audiobook

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Cornel Ronald West is an American scholar and public intellectual. Formerly at Harvard University, West is currently a professor of Religion at Princeton. West says his intellectual contributions draw from such diverse traditions as the African American Baptist Church, Marxism, pragmatism, transcendentalism, and Anton Chekhov.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I don’t come to Race Matters from an insightful and enlightened place. I was raised in an all-white town (infamous for the 1907 lynching of James Garden) by all-white parents who used the N-word on a daily basis without the slightest hint of reservation or remorse.

In spite of my upbringing, I never embraced the warped rationale that links animosity and antipathy with skin pigmentation. That’s not to say I didn’t have a lot to unlearn. I was indoctrinated and “diversity deprived” until I graduated high school in 1980. At seventeen I had rarely been in close proximity, much less in conversation, with a black human being. As a result I said and did all those stupid white people things none of us should ever say or do. NOTE: to seaman recruit Grooms, navy bootcamp 1980 - if you’re out there man, thank you for not punching me in the face every time I touched your hair. I am so sorry.

So here I am, 57 years into a life that started out on the wrong side of history. I am hopefully a little wiser (still a work in progress) and now looking to Dr. Cornel West for, if not answers, at least the right questions...

“no democracy can survive, no matter how strong its markets are, without a serious public life and commitment to fairness and justice” ~Dr Cornel West, 2001

My preconceptions of Race Matters were pretty far off the mark. For one thing, Dr West is almost as critical of the political left as he is of the political right... almost. For another, he doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the shortcomings of past and present black leadership. There are no disingenuous allegiances or sacred cows here. Be you Jesse Jackson or Booker T. Washington, Cornel West is going to hold you accountable.

West sees U.S. political machinery operating in two camps: 1) “Liberal Structuralism” - promoting childcare programs, full employment, access to healthcare, and broad affirmative action practices, and 2) “Conservative Behavioralism” - promoting black business expansion, self-help incentives, and non-preferential job practices. Both camps come with their own set of problems and both, West insists, fail to grapple with the central issue of American racial disparity: cultural nihilism.

“Nihilism is to be understood here not as a philosophic doctrine that there are no rational grounds for legitimate standards or authority; it is, far more, the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness.”

This nihilism, West maintains, is manifested as a collective angst brought about by immersion in a culture of white supremacy that degrades and devalues black worth, black intelligence, black ability and black character.

“...we must delve into the depths where neither liberals nor conservatives dare to tread, namely, into the murky waters of despair and dread that now flood the streets of black America ...The liberal/conservative discussion conceals the most basic issue now facing black America: the nihilistic threat to its very existence.”

Think about this for a second - this is Cornel West speaking to us from 1993. He talks about the pitfalls of racial reasoning - ‘still a problem. He talks about the crisis of black leadership - ‘still a problem. He talks about the phenomenon of black conservatism - ‘inherently problematic. He talks about the skewed distribution of wealth - ‘an exponentially bigger problem now than it was in 1993. Black sexuality, black rage, black antisemitism—all of this could be easily gleaned from the headlines here in 2020. None of this shit is resolved, none of this shit has subsided, most of this shit has escalated.

“Malcolm X’s deep pessimism about the capacity and possibility of white America to shed their racism led him, ironically, to downplay the past and present bonds between blacks and whites. For if the two groups were, as Martin Luther King Jr. put it, locked into “one garment of destiny,” then the very chances for black freedom were nil. This deep pessimism also rendered Malcolm X ambivalent about American democracy - for if the majority were racist how could the black minority ever be free?”

History has shown, I believe, that Malcolm’s concerns were completely justified.

If you think I’m being overly pessimistic, consider this: David Duke, a white supremacist, convicted felon, former KKK Grand Wizard, neo-nazi Holocaust denier, got 55% of the white vote and 69% of the white “evangelical christian” vote when he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.

“We are at a crucial crossroad in the history of this nation - and we either hang together by combating these forces that divide and degrade us or we hang separately. Do we have the intelligence, humor, imagination, courage, tolerance, love, respect, and will to meet the challenge? Time will tell. None of us alone can save the nation or world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so.” ~Cornel West, Princeton, 1994

[The Conspiracy is Capitalism · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading this as the George Floyd murder and protests are unfolding…

Preamble:
--The US has the most nuanced propaganda (Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies). How else can the richest and most well-armed empire in human history convince enough people of its “freedoms”, while even at home it literally has the highest incarceration rate/highest prison population (2+ million) and no universal healthcare?
--Freedom for capital, while the surplus population are free to rot... It’s easier to look away with the barriers of race (The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness), class (The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap), and historical amnesia (A People's History of the United States).
--While my focus has been on the structures of political economy (where the abstractions of accumulation and dispossession obfuscate systemic power relations), I still try to read other perspectives so as not to rely on a rigid base/superstructure analysis…

The Good:
--For the “superstructure” of cultural analysis, I figured it was time to read West as I’ve followed his many diverse public outreach appearances.
--His chapter “Nihilism in Black America” made the point that “culture” is very much part of the structure, and Liberals (who focus on the structures of welfare reforms) have avoided this because they assume a “rational” selfish individual (thus missing the nihilism in need for social identity/meaning/self-worth) as well as avoiding Conservative’s narrow individualist values.

--A key theme is transcending the Liberal vs. Conservative trap (i.e. Liberals are not Left/radical). West uses this in “Demystifying Black Conservatism”, where he escapes the merry-go-round of Liberals vs. Conservatives by presenting the much more compelling radical structural critique of the failure of Black Liberalism:
a) Black Liberalism was based on the post-WWII Keynesian class-compromise that relied on economic growth for redistribution via welfare.
b) International competition (i.e. Germany/Japan, OPEC) stagnated US growth by the 70s; economic structural transformations to revitalize capitalist profits (deindustrialization and mechanization of Southern agriculture) expanded surplus labor (esp. black).
c) This economic unraveling of the Liberal class compromise combined with the mass consumerism of militarism/sexuality/individualism contributed to the moral breakdown of community.

--Other chapters: crisis in black leadership (need race-transcending), racial reasoning (i.e. black authenticity) vs. moral reasoning, Black-Jewish relations (need for moral credibility instead of ladder-climbing), black sexuality myths, and Malcolm X/Black rage (I found Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention useful to contextualize The Autobiography of Malcolm X).

Next Steps:
1) History of racial bribes:
--The unraveling of Black Liberalism outlined above is a brief snapshot of the US race/class relations, including a long history of divide-and-conquer to prevent mass revolts.
--This includes the creation of "whiteness" during slavery, dividing Populists unity to set up Jim Crow, Nixon's Southern Strategy which set up War on Drugs mass incarceration/dismantling welfare (esp. Reagan and Clinton): The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

2) Financing of racism:
--Systemic power profits from remaining hidden. Much like how much of capitalism's wealth was (and still is) built on violent plunder and trade in narcotics, Wall Street built its wealth on financing the Slave Trade (The Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism, 1815-1860).
--The wealth of crime is not something that time naturally heals. Wall Street remains embedded in systematic racism, from:
a) The history of segregation and later "redlining" (The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America), highlighted by black families prevented from home ownership (which was the foundation for building the US middle class as part of the New Deal's National Housing Act of 1934).
b) ...To recent predatory lending scams targeting later generations still trying to obtain home ownership ("liar loans", targeting "NINJA" - No Income No Job or Assets) leading to the 2008 Subprime Mortgage crisis (losing their homes, while liars bailed out and profited).
--Understand that the Democratic Party is just as beholden financially to Wall Street and systemic racism, despite the surface-level identity politics they play (which makes them more deceptive). It takes both parties to build systemic racism.

3) Global Context of Anti-racism:
--West mentions the Black Conservative support for US imperialist foreign policy is a reaction to “Un-American” Civil Rights/Black Power movement making connections with global struggles.
--Rebuilding the global context of resistance is crucial. When West talks about the nihilism of the oppressed, this speaks to the global colonies and indigenous in settler colonialism as well. Thus, challenges for self-determination resonate far and wide.
--This was the heights of MLK (connecting racism with US capitalism and militarism, protesting war on Vietnam) and Malcolm X’s internationalism. Of course, black communists (like Claudia Jones, Cyril Briggs, etc.) are further wiped from popular history. This is why the histories of revolts from the perspectives of slaves and the colonized are so crucial and rarely read...

--Vijay Prashad has been trying to make these Global South voices more accessible:
-Civil Rights movement with global decolonization: https://youtu.be/IfQ-zFaAOFk?t=40
-More on global decolonization: https://youtu.be/NZXh2Guebhg?t=106
-In-depth dive into global decolonization’s internationalism: The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World
-Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for Socialism
-Russian Revolution and global decolonization: Red Star Over the Third World

--Also:
-Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
-The Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of the Haitian Revolution
-Modernity Disavowed: Haiti and the Cultures of Slavery in the Age of Revolution
-Gerald Horne (who West also praises) has much in-depth research on slavery/anti-slavery’s global scope

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Race is the most explosive issue in American life precisely because it forces us to confront the tragic facts of poverty and paranoia, despair and distrust."

Cornel West's Race matters was published twenty-seven years ago and yet it is still relevant today. Unfortunately, not much has changed in those almost three decades. 

Mr. West digs deep into the American psyche and our culture of white supremacy, seeking ways to change. He points out the problems of both the Right and the Left when it comes to upholding systemic racism. 

Most women I've read who write about race issues embrace intersectionality, but I haven't read many men who do. Cornel West, however, consistently reminds us that in any discussion of race issues, we have to see the unique ways in which racism affects different people, such as Black women and those in the LGBQT+ community. (The same is true of feminism - we cannot get anywhere with equality for women if we do not address the specific challenges of Black women, Brown women, trans women, lesbian women, etc.)

Mr. West is a professor and his writing is at times dense and dry. Because of that, this is not the easiest book I've read on race studies - though it is important. I'm not sure I understood everything he was saying, and some parts of the book seem written to and for other Black men.

Does that mean that women or white people shouldn't read the book? No, absolutely not. It is a book for everyone intent on learning and doing the work of anti-racism. There is so much insight in this book and many topics of discussion. 

If you decide to read Race Matters, try to find the twenty-fifth-anniversary edition.  In it, he adds a new introduction. That was my favourite part, as Mr West relates the specificities of the book to current events. He affirms that "America has followed the route of all empires in human history: machismo might, insecure hysteria, and predictable hubris. Like all empires, the American Empire has been unaccountable to its victims."

Trump is both a symptom and a symbol of the meltdown of America. Not the cause. We liberals like to think he is an aberration. He is not. He is "as American as apple pie".

Until and unless we do the hard work of dismantling systemic racism in this country, America will further decline. It's up to liberals to try to fix it because the Conservatives would rather continue laying the blame on the shoulders of people of color rather than where it belongs -- on white Americans. 

As Mr. West asserts, "To engage in a serious discussion of race in America, we must begin not with the problems of black people but with the flaws of American society".

This discussion is long overdue.

[Mehrsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

West is eloquent and insightful. This book is a fast read and it's essential if you're going to engage in race talk in America.

[Zadignose]

Cornel West would probably not be offended if I pointed out that he doesn't quite have the literary talent of a W.E.B. Dubois... Who does? He doesn't have the fiery character of a Malcolm X. He comes across as someone sure of his ideas, but humble as an individual. His ideas are clear and generally well expressed, though his presentation does have a kind of dry style, like an academic essay assignment. The book does not have the kind of rigor to qualify as an analysis, and this isn't really philosophy. It's a plain-talking exposition of ideas, largely asserted or assumed, with a few explanatory examples and references to historical persons and ideas, but it isn't really argued out. Mr. West does his best to play fair by staking out ground that might bring together the right and the left, i.e. he aims to be non-partisan, though ultimately it's clear that he's coming from a Marxist perspective.

For my own purposes I'll try to note some of the controlling ideas that define the various chapters... okay, bullet points:

- The problems of black folks go beyond the narrow focus of liberals and conservatives on social structure or behavioral problems. First, it's not an either or, as structure and behavior go together and influence one another, second because cultural factors exist outside of political and economic structures... e.g., family, churches, etc., and most importantly it's time to face up to the psychological factors of lost hope and spiritual nihilism that dominate the lives of the poorest and most despairing people.

- We need love, self-respect, integrity, leadership, and values that go beyond the commercial values that have come to dominate.

- Black folks can't let the struggle simply be about getting black men the kind of power and dominance that white men have, to the detriment and neglect of black women, gay black men, and lesbians, and race identity and black nationalism can't trump moral and social issues of class, poverty, and human dignity.

- Black folks shouldn't be hornswaggled into supporting someone like Clarence Thomas who isn't qualified to serve on the supreme court, who doesn't represent black interests, who cynically plays the victim of racism to secure his own position and achieve his own ambition while condemning others for exploiting race... and support him just because of "racial reasoning"... i.e., he's black so hold together and support him, even in the face of abuse of black women (Anita Hill and Thomas's own sister whom he falsely blamed for welfare cheating...). Supporting such an unqualified individual represents an insecurity among black folks who unconsciously accept that we can't do better than this.

- Black intellectual and political leadership are at an all-time low, ironically due to the emergence of a larger black middle class (having gone from something like 7% to 25% of the black population), with the middle class seeking white acceptance and affirmation and pursuing their own individual betterment as defined by America's commercial values. Meanwhile what's really needed is community level leaders and grassroots organizers rather than leaders competing to become the voice of a national leader/savior.

- New black conservatives have emerged at least in part due to failures of liberals to directly address the real problems and to find an answer to the destructive despair and nihilism.

- Affirmative action is still supportable because racism is still real and present, the black folks who want to end affirmative action are the ones who have already benefited from it, but they want to win legitimacy among their white peers, and pragmatically, even if the issue relates more to class than race and gender, one can enforce rules that give opportunity to minorities and women, but if you just throw it down to trusting employers to use fair hiring practices with no accountability, racism and sexism can come back with a vengeance while employers claim color and gender blindness. There's no evidence to suggest racism in hiring has really abated.

- Black anti-semitism and Jewish racism against blacks are destructive to both interests, they have a long history, coalitions and cooperation should be fostered, and there are many reasons for recent conflict between Jews and blacks, including the rise of political conservatism among Jews, their opposition to affirmative action, their social and political rise in America which outstripped the rise of blacks in the same time, the failure of black leaders to strongly condemn black anti-semitism, the fact that blacks are somewhat blind to the very long history of European violent anti-semitism, plus Jews support unjust practices of Israel regarding Palestinians while blacks don't understand the Jewish sense of urgency towards self-preservation.... i.e., both blacks and Jews are caught up in racial reasoning rather than larger issues of social justice... heck there's more to this...

And, in an effort to conclude my summary by addressing the final two topics:

-Black sexuality is a taboo topic that should be addressed openly and not feared if progress is to be made. Mythology about black sexuality is damaging. Fear and fascination with black sexuality, and especially interracial sexual relations are at the core of racial conflicts. Black people confront many contradictory problems relating to how they may be degraded, or made to feel ashamed or dirty, while at the same time being objects of sexual fascination for white folks. Black folks have to be proud, not ashamed, and at the same time willing to accept a variety of expressions and sexual identities, without enforcing images of machismo on all black men. Men and women must rise together. Healthy sexual relations should be embraced whether intra-racial, inter-racial, hetero- or homosexual. At the same time, the author cautions in several places about the harmful effects of the commodification of sex, instant-gratification culture, and hedonism. Maybe I'm not getting this quite right, so I'll just quote the final thoughts on this topic from the book:

As long as black sexuality remains a taboo subject, we cannot acknowledge, examine, or engage these tragic psychocultural facts of American life. Furthermore, our refusal to do so limits our ability to confront the overwhelming realities of the AIDS epidemic in America in general and in black America in particular. Although the dynamics of black male sexuality differ from those of black female sexuality, new stylistic options of self-image and resistance can be forged only when black women and men do so together. This is not so because all black people should be heterosexual or with black partners, but rather because all black people—including black children of so-called "mixed" couples—are affected deeply by the prevailing myths of black sexuality. These myths are part of a wider network of white supremacist lies whose authority and legitimacy must be undermined. In the long run, there is simply no way out for all of us other than living out the truths we proclaim about genuine humane interaction in our psychic and sexual lives. Only by living against the grain can we keep alive the possibility that the visceral feelings about black bodies fed by racist myths and promoted by market-driven quests for stimulation do not forever render us obsessed with sexuality and fearful of each other's humanity.

-There's also a fair amount about Malcolm X. The author saw a lot of unfulfilled potential in Malcolm X, whose strong expression of rage was focused on a psychological transformation in black people, but who tragically could not live long enough to mature and examine the implications of his approach. The author saw Malcolm X as starting to transcend national boundaries, and overcoming some of the unfortunate tendency of Nation of Islam to respond to white-nationalist power by adopting the same underlying formula i.e., by focusing too much on white power, it ironically kept white culture as the dominant force and turned black nationalism into a reactionary movement. The author believed Malcolm would have gone beyond this in promoting black pride on its own terms, speaking out with appropriate rage to white abuses, but not allowing white culture to define the movement. He also commented on the fact that, still young, Malcolm in his more orthodox Muslim phase, could not yet transcend racial reasoning enough to be able to see the broader social justice issues, i.e., he could not criticize the patriarchal oppression of women and the anti-democratic culture of Arabia, while he experienced the positive humanizing experience of being accepted as a black man.

Now, this is all my sloppy effort at summarizing, I probably misrepresented something, and if you've read this far and think I got something wrong, tell me!

[Terri Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for a doctorate class. To sum it up, white liberals are at fault for treating blacks like kids and thinking they need white taxpayers to support them, conservative whites and blacks are at fault for expecting blacks to take on personal responsibility and get an education, not commit crime, don't get pregnant until married and other acts deemed to be "white" which makes the middle class and upper class blacks who do so Uncle Toms, and being black must be the center of a black person's existence even if it isn't. The fact that slavery once existed over 160 years ago and Jim Crow existed means permanent affirmative action. Oh goodness. Even the parts about black sexuality make no sense. West is the director of the black studies program at Princeton which essentially graduates black students with a useless major- but hey, that's the fault of whites too.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Race Matters, published originally in 1993, is a book of its time, but also greatly applicable to 2011. Cornel West writes a series of essays covering the topics that most affect African-Americans in American culture, such as identity, gender, despair, sexuality, black-Jewish relations, how the political left and right have attempted to bring repair and how they have fallen short, the effects both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X had on the black community and where the African-American community stands today.

There is argument that Race Matters is not a scholarly work. While this may be technically so, West’s treatment of these issues comes not only from his own experience as an African American who has been witness to the difficulties of living as a black man in a predominantly white society, but also is informed by his education as a theologian and as a professor at both Harvard and Princeton.

West covers issues that occupy the minds of both blacks and whites, but often are avoided; from the devastating long-term consequences of slavery, and America’s inadequate attempts from the political left and the right to correct inequities, to the effect white American culture has had on black identity and how crisis of identity has left many African-Americans vulnerable to the viciousness of corporate greed and a market-driven culture.

He writes,

“…most of us remain trapped in the narrow framework of the dominant liberal and conservative views of race in America, which with its worn-out vocabulary leaves us intellectually debilitated, morally disempowered, and personally depressed. The astonishing disappearance of the event (L.A. riots) from public dialogue is testimony to just how painful and distressing a serious engagement with race is. Our truncated public discussions of race suppress the best of who and what we are as a people because they fail to confront the complexity of the issue in a candid and critical manner. The predictable pitting of liberals against conservatives, Great Society Democrats against self-help Republicans, reinforces intellectual parochialism and political paralysis.” (pg. 2)

West, himself, believes unequivocally in the dignity and preciousness of all human life and does not dissolve into hate or rage against white culture to bring healing for African-Americans. In fact, while discussing Malcom X, he does bring up positive aspects of Malcom X’s impact and care for his people, but finds it “incomplete” and lacking in certain areas. He brings a coherent and easily readable analysis of how we got to where we are now in white-black race relations and gives a general prescription for both the white and black community of how to begin bringing repair.

It is clear that discussing these matters openly can feel like a virtual minefield for white people and for African-Americans can touch on pain that is generations old. I am grateful for Cornel West’s work in that he lovingly, but candidly, approaches this extremely difficult topic in a way that allows me as a white woman, to engage in this issue in a more informed and free manner in the future.

[Kent Winward · Rating 4 out of 5]

25 years later it is disheartening to realize that this book is still completely relevant. The current West/Coates feud is explained pretty well, when you realize West is pushing a much more progressive and radical agenda than Coates. Also, West takes a much broader and more accurate approach to issues of race, seeing them as a subset of larger economic and political issues. Economic inequality and corporate power only enable the continued racism and bridging the gap on these larger issues with others equally situated (like most of us) is the only way anything will be different when the book is reissued for its 50th anniversary.

On a side note: West's analysis on the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas debacle is the best I've ever read and it explains much of what happened, even though I lived through all those debates as a baby lawyer.

[Tylor Lovins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Cornel West book I have read, and, in fact, it is the first piece I have read fully on the issue of race. As a white person, spending my formative years in an overwhemingly small white town, I was not exposed much to race issues. There was some mention of slavery, but it was something that was well in the past, America having progressed since the Civil Rights movement. In high school American history courses were largely focused on American foreign affairs--especially American wars. I hadn't heard much at all about black history. College changed this quite a bit. I had no idea about the origins of the NAACP or the many difficulties faced by black people after the Civil War.

I came to this book with many hopes, especially after hearing Cornel West speak in person. The book, though mainly a criticism of black leadership and contemporary prospects for black communities (I thought it would be more concrete in its outlook and more philosophical in its implications), it did not disappoint. West talks about issues of contemporary racism by looking past 'racial reasoning' with 'moral reasoning.' He also thinks that a contemporary prophetic black leader must be multicultural and international in his or her desire, not just localized and pastoring a specific race. His analysis of contemporary thought on the problems that black Americans face was especially helpful for me, as he charts out a third way to understand these issues apart from conservative behaviorism and liberal structuralism. [2013]

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

One had two thesis advisors for the M.Div. program at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Mine were Ann Ulanov, representing the Psych Dept., and Cornel West, for Philosophy. Since my thesis was about Immanuel Kant's influence on C.G. Jung, and since my interest in the former had grown while my interest in the latter had diminished, its emphasis was on Transcendental Idealism and my primary concern was in truly understanding Kant. Thus I attended Cornel's class on continental philosophy and employed him as my primary advisor. We hit it off.

At the time I had no idea that Cornel was heading the DSA's division on racial matters. We didn't discuss politics--nor, for that matter, religion. In those days he spoke and acted like a Princeton man, not having yet adopted the avuncular southern black preacher style he employs today. This book, a collection of essays written subsequent to our acquaintanceship, points, however, in that direction.

I read this mostly as an homage to Cornel. His work, particularly his work on radio, in Ferguson and in the two Sanders campaigns, has retained my attention over the years and this work has sat on the bookshelf, unread, for over twenty years. It's quite dated, though having lived through the events he discusses, events like the Clarence Thomas hearings, I appreciated the reminders and Cornel's perspectives. So, too, I appreciate, and recommend consideration of, his efforts herein to bridge the gaps between black and white, conservative and liberal.

[Becky Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

For three years, I worked as the grantwriter and public affairs officer for the AAS-C.org, an organization supporting North Carolinians living with HIV/AIDS. My great friend and colleague, who is very active in her sorority (the Delta's), and I used to have great philosophical discussions--in our line of work, it was necessary to try and learn as much about people of all different walks of life. The more we learned and could understand, the better we were able to serve the community. So we would read biographies and essays and a myriad of material to feed our interests. Last year in May, we read Cornelius West's Race Matters (www.amazon.com/Race-Matters-Cornel-We...) in tandem with Ted Nugent's Manifesto (www.amazon.com/Ted-White-Blue-Nugent-...). It seemed like an interesting dichotomy to explore ... and boy, was it.

Talk about a huge gamut of information. I preferred West's essay format to Nugent's, but found that some points in each book resonated with me, while others were off-putting--a fact that both Chermaine and I found to be true for both titles. I found West's observations on Malcom X's legacy and the crisis of black leadership to be especially interesting, and appreciate his efforts to present solutions alongside his criticisms. Nugent, on the other hand, is unapolegetic in his political and social views ... his opinions are vastly different than my own, but there's something to be said about a person who just lays it out there like that, consequences be damned. If I had the opportunity to meet one of the two, I think I'd go with West.

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humility is the fruit of inner security and wise maturity. To be humble is to be so sure of one’s self and one’s mission that one can forego calling excessive attention to one’s self and status.

The inspiration for reading occurred to early this morning as my wife and I walked across he pedestrian bridge to Louisville. That location is by the the most cosmopolitan location in the metropolitan area.

I wanted more poetry in his argumentation, though I concede that this is a primer for popular consumption. My edition had new forwards and a new epilogue. West's theses appear to have continued in the near thirty years since its publication, a growing black middle class still has to conform to regulations of acceptance, chiefly that black sexuality is left unspoken in polite society. The growing black underclass struggling with nihilism and still awaits prophetic leadership , self-love and then need for class-born alliances with other marginalized groups.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading black historical figures (Frederick Douglas) and contemporary black conservatives (like T sowell) stimulates my mind and gives me hope for black Americans. But Cornel West likes to hear the own sound of his voice even when his arguments are shallow, unsupported by fact or even common sense, or simply hostile. I fear for our universities of higher knowledge if this man, so stuck in the past, can be a tenured professor and teach young people to fix themselves on issues of race, when most of us just want to see our black friends thrive.

[Del Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cornel West is a radical. There can be no doubt of that. He has been outspoken during Occupy Wall Street gatherings, Black Lives Matter protests, and far-left conventions. He has called President Obama a "Rockefeller Republican in blackface" and has been almost vociferously critical of the Bush administration and American conservatism. Many of his positions I take much more moderate positions on and many of them I flat out disagree with him on. However, when I think about Cornel West, I think of him less in the positions that he takes and more on why he thinks them. His justification, his commitment to human betterment, the life of the mind, truth, and God, are rock-solid. He is a man of the utmost intellectual honesty and of a true commitment to justice and truth in the face of oppression. That energy is committed in this book to the highest degree.

West points out that, yes, race still matters. He also criticizes both the liberal and conservative perspectives on how to deal with this problem. Liberals are more than happy to change political and economic institutions to fix the racial problems of America but are unwilling (mostly by virtue of political correctness) to address the nihilism which has flooded the black community and to promote strong values as well as institutional reform in the black community. Conservatives on the other hand speak always of values but never point out institutional flaws. Conservatives are willing to reduce the entire racial problem in America down to personal responsibility and individual integrity. While both of these things are important, conservatives fail to take into account the systemic racism in our institutions and the more private, veiled racism hidden in the American psyche as hindrances to black progress. It is here, in my mind, that West sets out a new trajectory to deal with the race problem in America beyond the liberal and conservative perspectives. He takes up a position that promotes strong values within the African-American community that conservatives value but that also keeps in mind the historical and political implications that hundreds upon hundreds of years of white supremacy have reeked on the black community. His solution is a complex one, but again, the problem of race in America is a complex one. Those who wish to boil it down to one or two axioms are missing many facets of the issue. For West and to a large extent, for myself, the racial problem in America boils down to a complex mixture of postmodern values, racism both institutional and individual, poverty, lack of self-love, and a general lack of good philosophical discourse and constructive political leadership on racial issues.

I do disagree with West on a number of subjects. West is a Democratic Socialist and a radical one at that. I am more of a soft libertarian on political and economic issues. Therefore, his solutions of re-distribution of wealth, a radical extension of affirmative action, and expansion of a Socialist state are not overwhelmingly appealing to me. However, even in our disagreements, we have a lot of common ground. I agree with him that consumerist ethos has had a negative effect on the spirituality of communities of color (hey, wasn't slavery a product of a market unguided by morality?), I agree with him that the conservative ethos fails the African-American community in many ways: by claiming that only individual efforts can improve the African-American predicament, we ignore the hand-in-hand relationship that values have with institutions., and finally, I agree with him that a general lack of philosophical thinking on race leads to blind, arbitrary ideas on the African-American experience: this is particularly embodied within black supremacist or separatist ideologies or within black conservatism as well, as when Ben Carson claimed dubiously that "President Obama wasn't raised in a black home". (Ironic that Carson would cite race so viciously when he criticized the President for making race an issue again in America). So in summation, even in our large disagreements, West and I share many profound ideas on the betterment of the racial problem here in America.

In short, West here brings a strong intellectual argument to the table: he writes well on the subjects of black sexuality, Malcolm X and black rage, black-Jewish anger, and issues of black leadership and political conviction. I may not agree with him on everything, but like his intellectual opposite but personal friend Robert P. George, I find him an intellectually honest and understanding man who writes in a prophetic manner on race in America. If all of us thought in the tradition of Cornel West, we would have a much better society.

[Francesca Calarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Race Matters, Dr. Cornel West addresses a number of race-related issues with a collection of eight thought-provoking essays. Published in 1993, many of these explorations focus on case studies of the period. That said, given Dr. West’s progressive analyses and sensibilities, his preponderances were quite ahead of their time.

“Race” may be in the title, but at the heart of each of these essays lies a desire to understand and dismantle any type of unjust power imbalance. Given this framework, in addition to an overview of racism in America, this collection also offers critiques of the black community including: (in)actions to Clarence Thomas, nihilism, what Dr. West considered a lack of black leadership (in the 90s), black conservatism, anti-Semitism, and any type of self-loathing that undervalued black bodies.

"My goal is to be as bold and defiant in my criticism of any type of xenophobia, as honest and candid about the need for civil responsibility and social accountability of each of us, and as charitable and compassionate toward any political perspective from which we can gain insight and wisdom to empower us." (109)

Dr. West is undeniably an academic writer; this combined with his straight-forward honesty makes this collection a compelling read. My only critique would be that given the broad range of topics he covers, I do wish that he would have expanded a bit more upon some of these prompts. This is not to say that anything is underdeveloped, I just wish there was more material.

Overall, this is a great collection that still “matters” immensely today. I definitely recommend it.

[Zalman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book back in 1994, and thought West was right on target most of the time. The essays were written in plain language, rather than the jargon of political theory; I liked that they were also free of inflated hyperbole and attempts to boil down complex problems to trite slogans. Moderate, conciliatory, and thoughtful, West ably dissects superficial thinking and hypocrisy on both the right and left side of the political spectrum. Of course much of this material, written in the late 80s and early 90s will appear dated to some - or not, depending on your particular view of the current state of race relations, black leadership, and the general American political, sexual, and cultural landscape. At the time we had just gone through Reagan and Bush 1 (who scans bizarrely like a moderate Eisenhower Republican compared in retrospect with the current model). I'd be interested to read what West thinks now, as we stand potentially on the verge of electing a black President (I'll believe that when I see it, though).

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of great, general, indisputable truths about being black that you (if you consciously think about race) have probably wondered, contemplated or, better yet, discussed with others.

Also a great number of truths about how the political sphere affect Black livelihood, especially that of the disadvantaged/poor. As someone who has always hungered to dig more into politics and how it affects (Black) American life, but cannot handle for too long the purposely incomprehensibly deceptive gibber-gabber of politicians — I really appreciate West's breaking down of the two main political parties (into the catchy labels "liberal structuralists" and "conservative behaviorists") and where each has it's own triumphant truths and put-down downfalls. I will definitely try to apply this lesson to contemporary politics in order to better understand it. And who knows? I may even take time out to go make an well-needed EDUCATED vote for my country.

My favorite essays to read were the ones that covered nihilism, Malcolm X, black leadership, and black sexuality. The essay on racial reasoning was also great, though greatly upsetting.

I learned a lot from this book. Even in topics where I didn't believe I needed to do anymore considering. West always brought up something new, or phrased something old in a new thought-provoking way. He also has quite a lyrical way with words (not too many scholarly big words, but also not too over-simplified) that gets his point across perfectly.

If anything, I wish Cornell would've given just a little praise to some (if any?) of the leaders he believes is currently doing something right in the Black struggle. I would have liked his thoughts on who in the Black community today he believes is worth following/listening to, so that I could do just that.

Also, I had to keep reminding myself that this book is over 10 years old, although I think it's still greatly needed even today. As I wondered what is his thoughts on current violent race relations (then corrected myself on its publication date) I realized there are actually some tidbits here and there that do (indirectly) address what is happening today.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

West provides a very rational discussion on the different ways that race is still significant in this country. He presents the arguments that it is not just structural discrimination, but cultural and behavioral choice that work together to create and reinforce the inner city ghetto: "The predominance of this way of life among those living in poverty-ridden conditions, with a limited capacity to ward off self-contempt and self-hatred, results in the possible triumph of the nihilistic threat in black America.” It links well with Joy DeGruy's theory of PTSS and Glenn Loury's work on addressing the moral failings of the ghetto.

He argues for real conversation that does not dehumanize or put any on a pedestal: "Our truncated public discussions of race suppress the best of who and what we are as a people because they fail to confront the complexity of the issue in a candid and critical manner,” but allows free exchange of information between races.

He also acknowledges the vast class differences between races and the tendency of black middle classes to abandon the fight once they achieve individual success. He also highlights the problem with consumerism and capitalist pursuit of pleasure above all other things, especially for a marginalized lower class: "market activity has contributed greatly to the disorientation and confusion of American youth, and those with less education and fewer opportunities bear the brunt of this cultural chaos.”

Overall it is a short, easy read collection of essays on the importance of race in America. He speaks from the point of view of empowering black Americans without the vitriolic voice heard in Coates' work.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a pop nonfiction book that introduces issues of racism against African Americans directed most likely toward a white somewhat educated readership, I think this book is great. And given Dr. West's capacity to get highfalutin and academic in other organs (take a look through The Cornel West Reader -- some real academic pieces in there), I think reading it under the assumption that it's targeted toward the "masses" is justified.

That said, for an indepth analysis on black culture in the late 20th century, I think Dr. West's discussions and prescriptions raise more questions than they answer. Just one example that comes to the top o' the noggin: Dr. West calls for a race transcending dialogue, one that does not involve racial reasoning, i.e. logic that adheres to an individual's skin color as a justification for authenticity (whether positive or negative). For evidence he paints an alternate history of the Anita Hill / Clarence Thomas case. This justification, to me, was unsatisfying. Immediately questions came to Andy's mind's eye: can this alternate history be extrapolated to thereby fit other cases where racial reasoning might be involved?; and, how would individuals begin to enact such a dialogue?; etc. etc. Again, just one example from the book.

Highly recommended as an introductory read to the issues African Americans face, even in the 21st century. The discussion on black sexuality and Malcolm's rage were also on point.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharp and eloquent book, marred by a few loose arguments here and there. West is dead-on about many things, patiently and carefully laying out volatile issues and explaining approaches to improve them. Since this is a collection of essays, basically, some will obviously interest you more than others, but they're all worth reading and mulling over. The only weak points come at some moments in his reasoning, at which he substitutes a pat conclusion or an unsourced claim for a more carefully planned argument (most egregious when he calls out black conservatives for making conclusions without providing sources and context, then later in the same chapter makes a number of contentious general statements about black conservatives... without sources or context). Still: the book is well-written, carefully argued (for the most part), and thoughtfully empathetic.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting nuanced views. I was especially interested in his specific ideas about capitalist consumerism and mass media pushing particular values, especially increased sexuality and violence. I was also interested in his discussion of redistribution of wealth that predominantly affects the middle class and not the poor and his short essay on Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill which stood the test of time pretty well.

West's essay about black and white sexuality reminded me a lot of some essay I read in college about sexuality as rebellion in Cuba's oppressive regime. And feminism also talks a lot about the patriarchy's restriction of sexuality. It doesn't strike me as intuitive, and I struggle to understand why sexual control leads to political control? But it seems universal and pervasive in oppressive regimes all over the world.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so wish I was close enough to Princeton to be able to take a course or two of his there - although I hear he is moving to Union Theological Seminary soon to teach there.

Race Matters is a series of lectures exposing and criticizing the moral ethics of racism and many other isms that run side by side with racism.

The beginning story from Cornel West's real life experience in preparing this book for publication says it all. Nothing trumps the lived experience. As Bob Marley said - who feels it knows it.

Very thought-provoking. I so admire the man for his openness to debate and his clarity of position and thought.

I followed West throughout the run up for President - supportive of Obama but with a critical edge.

I'll probably read this book again soon.

[Chris Blocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love hearing Brother Cornel West speak. I've long been attracted to his unique perspective, style, and eloquence. He's a very likable and dynamic scholar. And that's why I've long been eager to read some of his works.

I thought all of these wonderful qualities would translate well to text, but they really don't. West's brilliance is here, but the POW! is missing. Partly, this is because this slim volume isn't given the space that is needed. Each essay is more of a snippet of a much bigger thought. Part is the age, most of the essays are from the early 1990s, and topics such as Clarence Thomas seem antiquated. Still, Race Matters is an important and very scholarly collection, but not one that left this reader in awe.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I knew more about social justice and the context in which West writes. I sense this to be an insightful work by a brilliant man but am not fully able to grasp its profundity.

What I get here is that race does indeed matter. Especially in discussions of race. While seemingly obvious, apparently this point is not as commonly accepted or widely appreciated at it seems it would be, or should be.

Definitely worth another read at some point.

[James Bechtel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 25th anniversary edition (2017) of "Race Matters." It was originally published in 1993, shortly after the Rodney King upheaval in Los Angeles. With the new introduction the book is only about 130 pages long. But what a great 130 pages! Cornel West, of Harvard, insists that a serious discussion of race must start with the flaws in American society - inequalities, injustices, and stereotypes - racial hierarchy, the maldistribution of income and wealth, and the arbitrary maldistribution of political power. It is a very welcome thing to see his deep understanding of neoliberal, "free market," economics as central to America's flaws. The chapter on black conservatives like economist Thomas Sowell and others who wear "ideological blinders" is right on the mark. In fact, all of these short chapters are significantly important. What is to be done? Dr. West offers several points. First, the establishment a "new framework for black thought and practice. This new framework should be a prophetic one of moral reasoning - based on ideas of a mature black identity, coalition strategy, and black cultural democracy....a prophetic framework encourages moral assessment...and selects those views based on black dignity and decency that eschew putting any group of people or culture on a pedestal or in the gutter." The coalition strategy "solicits genuine solidarity with those deeply committed to antiracist struggle." A commitment to radical democracy is also part of the solution to confront these enormous impediments to justice. Easy to say 5 stars!

[Jonathan David Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've watched Cornel West speak so many times, whether as a commentator on the news or just talks posted on YouTube— and, of course, anytime he's in conversation with bell hooks. But, I had never taken the time to read his most well-known work "Race Matters". In the age of so many people profiting from anti-racist literature, I think it's most important to read the work of those who have been actively discussing race and anti-racism for decades. Cornel West is one of those people, and he breaks things down in such a thoughtful way, critiquing even those whom he respects, always providing historical context and citing great thinkers like Du Bois, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. West reminds us of the past, while remaining aware of how times and culture has shifted— I walk away from this with more to read, more to learn, and profound hope for the future.

Highlights:
- America was a business project before it became a democratic experiment. America was a settler-colonial endeavor of the British Empire (and others) before it became a revolutionary break from King George III. And the revolutionary American effort was built on Indigenous peoples' land and bodies, as well as Black peoples enslavement and expropriation." (xvii)
- …we must acknowledge that structures and behavior are inseparable, that institutions and values go hand and hand. How people act and live are shaped— though in no way dictated and determined— by the larger circumstances in which they find themselves.” (12)
- "Black people have always been in America's wilderness in search of a promised land. Yet many black folk now reside in a jungle ruled by a cutthroat market morality...contrary to the superficial claims of conservative behaviorists, these jungles are not the result of pathological behavior...this behavior is the tragic response of a people bereft of resources in confronting the workings of U.S. capitalist society." (16)
- "The claims of black authenticity that feed on the closing-ranks mentality of black people are dangerous precisely because this closing of the ranks is usually done at the expense of black women. It tends to ignore the division of class and sexual orientation in black America— divisions that require attention if all black interests, individuals, and communities are to be taken into consideration." (26)
- "It goes without saying that. an profound hatred of African people (as seen in slavery, lynching, segregation, and second-class citizenship) lies at the center of American civilization." (73)"

[Tavan T · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book six stars I would! While reading it, I was washed with a wave of mixed emotions. On one hand, I found myself in complete admiration of Cornel West's brilliance and eloquence in laying bare the issues of race, sex, class, and capital in America. I found it amazing that his arguments still hold up 28 years after the book was written. On the other hand, reading it 28 years after it was written and having it still be so relevant was demoralizing. Despite this, West's hopefulness for humanity is contagious, and his words have a certain palpability which is phenomenal. He targets issues such as the nihilism in Black America with what I believe is exceptional accuracy, presenting a clear and cogent analysis of its occurrence. He challenges the ideas of liberal and conservative America, highlighting their failures in appropriately addressing the Black experience and ultimately offers sound solutions which should be considered moving forward. I highly recommend this read!

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading Cornel West Reader, I wanted to read his other material (essay format) and some parts I can easily relate to whether it was written to an audience of yesterday still is functional today. "Black people have always been in America's wilderness in search of a promised land. Yet many black folk (people) now reside in a jungle ruled by cutthroat market (US capitalism) morality devoid to any faith in deliverance or hope for freedom (page 25, Nihilism in Black America).

The essay on Malcolm X and Black Rage was pretty good (last chapter or section).

"...these desperate channels will produce a cold-hearted and mean spirited America no longer worth fighting for or living in. (116)" On page 25, West points out that Black American has always been in the wilderness seeking the promised land, except we live in a cutthroat market where morality devoid the hope for freedom, or faith. US is a capitalist country.

I am reading a copy on the shelf of C Library.
3.75/4 stars

[Larry Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may get more attention in the coming year as Cornel West has just recently announced that he is running for US President as the Green party candidate. This book originated in the early 1990s. I am not in a position based on my knowledge and experience to know whether the thoughts and contents of this book are still as relevant as they were nearly 35 years ago. Certainly the times have changed.

This is not an easy book to listen to. Cornel West is an intellectual, and he packs a lot into his words. He has also written quite a few books, although I believe this is the first and only one that I have ever experienced.

[Huayra · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were some amazing and incredible insights about the content of a person's character and the voice of Dr. Cornel West of the past decade was brought to life through this entire narrative. The chapter that was most prevalent was the one on public prejudices and private prejudices and recognizing the differences between how people behave toward each other base on Race.

Reading Dr. Cornel West's book while in a state that has a lower literacy rate than most of the United States was a valiant effort made to reconvene with other readers for the worth of gaining the eventual friendships of the Avid Readers' of our times, especially humans who are a percentage of African-American Descent and who esteem active pride of their African heritage.