Cornel West settled in behind the podium and spoke from his heart. The passion in his voice and intensity of his gestures electrified the audience frequently evoking a roaring applause. He spoke with fervor; a fire that he said is ignited by love.
“I have a love of people no matter what color they are, no matter what gender they are, no matter what sexual orientation or their religious identity,” West said Monday. “And when you really love folk you have an intense hatred when they’re treated unjustly and unfairly.”
West was the keynote speaker in Valparaiso University’s Chapel of the Resurrection at the university’s 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration commemorating the slain civil rights leader’s legacy. More than 1,000 people attended, officials said.
West, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary in New York, professor emeritus at Princeton University, political activist, social commentator and author, not only reflected on King’s accomplishments but reminded the audience that King wasn’t always embraced by everyone.
“Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t always popular for any group,” he said. “When he died, 72 percent of Americans disapproved of him, and 55 percent of black people disapproved of him. It’s so easy now to celebrate Martin now that the worms got his body.”
King was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4,1968.
West said King should be honored for trying to unite people across all races and cultures.
“When he was alive he was trying to speak truth and he knew the condition of truth was always to allow suffering to speak and he didn’t confine that suffering to one group, to one city or to one nation,” he said. “He fundamentally believed that a precious Vietnamese baby had the same status and significance as a vanilla baby in New Town, Connecticut, or a brown baby in East Los Angeles, or an Asian baby in China, or an African baby in Guatemala.”
West’s message of love resonated with the audience and remarks were met with applause several times.
“His comments, the message of love, was on point,” Constance Clinton, of Gary, said. “He opened my eyes to the understanding that we have to keep hope. If we don’t have love we can’t come together as one.”
But West said he has some concerns about the direction of the country under the new leadership of President-elect Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump does represent in my own humble opinion so much of the worst of what the nation’s about,” he said. “We live in a moment now where we have to be much more visionary, courageous and more truth-telling because we do have a president who doesn’t manifest in his language what MLK Jr.’s message in life was all about. We don’t see a whole lot of concern with the weak and vulnerable. But he may surprise us, miracles are possible.”
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West he said it’s important to focus on the indelible imprint on American history King’s made.
“There’s a spirituality here that’s crucial because there will never ever be a tradition that flows under the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. without rich spirituality that’s then tied to social activism, that’s tied to formation of character and personality, that’s then tied to politics and economic quest.”
Noel Evans, of Valparaiso, said West’s message provided her some guidance during these “tricky times.”
“He was a dynamic speaker and very inspirational,” she said.
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