Dr. Cornel West’s UA Lecture to be Screened Oct. 29

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Cornel West, a social justice activist and Princeton University professor, spoke to a capacity audience at The University of Alabama Oct. 16. A videotape of West’s lecture will be screened Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. in the theatre of the Ferguson Center on the UA campus.

The three screenings are free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. Tickets may be obtained by going online to www.crimsonartstickets.com, calling the Crimson Arts box office at 348-4228, or by visiting the box office at the theatre in the Ferguson Center on the UA campus.

“Many nationally known figures have come to Morgan Hall Auditorium to address our students and community members, but none produced the number of attendees as Dr. West’s appearance,” said Dr. Robert F. Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a sponsor of the event. “We regret that all attendees were not able to be seated. We have arranged to show a one-hour videotape of his lecture and hope students, faculty and community members will take this opportunity to hear Dr. West’s very dynamic and thought provoking presentation.”

West’s writing, speaking and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics and jazz. The New York Times has praised his “ferocious moral vision.” His 1993 best-selling book, “Race Matters,” a searing analysis of racism in American democracy, has become a contemporary classic, selling more than half-a-million copies to date. In addition, West has published 16 other books with an upcoming book, “Hope on a Tightrope,” due for release in November 2008.

West’s lecture was part of the Martin Luther King Distinguished Lecture Series and was sponsored by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream Committee, African American studies program, vice president for community affairs, department of political science, College of Communication and Information Sciences, New College, Summersell Center for the Study of the South, department of religious studies, department of American studies, Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

For more information, contact Dr. Jimmy Williams, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, at 348-7007 or jwilliams@as.ua.edu.