'Why we can't wait'

West honors King legacy

The intensity, vision and drive of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was personified by Harvard Prof. Cornel West yesterday as he spoke to a captivated audience about the legacy of King's work, affirmative action and racism in society.

"Is it possible to embody a sense of hope as we move into the 20th Century?" West asked the audience. "It's certainly possible, but unclear as to whether we as a people have that capacity. At the moment, things don't look good, but they've never really looked good if you look closely."

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Cornel West, Harvard University professor of Afro-American studies and philosophy of religion, speaks to an above-capacity crowd at Hill Auditorium yesterday. West's address served as the keynote speech for the University's 1998 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium.

West, the keynote speaker for the 1998 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, spoke before a packed audience of thousands of students, faculty and community members at Hill Auditorium yesterday. West, who is a professor of Afro-American studies and philosophy of religion at Harvard University, has been described as one of the most important African-American intellectuals today. West's work attempts to broaden the scope of individual development and democracy.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. was calling for each and every one of us to become mature - a passionate emergence of reality and all the sorrow and sadness that comes with it," West said. "In that short period of time, he was able to leave such a tremendous impact."

West warned the audience about the dangers of defying King's work and vision, and urged people to look at King's life from a historical perspective.

"We don't want to put him on some pedestal and view him as some icon that is not part and parcel from what we can be doing," West said.

West urged the audience not only to reflect on King's work, but to live up to his dream and ideals.

"The fact that he affected each and every one of us should be celebrated if we are serious about meeting his challenge. For me, the fundamental question for 1998 is whether we have the capacity to keep this tradition of struggle alive - and at times, it does not look good."

Many audience members found West's speech uplifting and consistent with King's legacy.

"I thought it was brilliant," said Public Health first-year student Rupal Sanghvi. "He brought up a lot of really important paradigms that aren't often discussed in the mainstream press."

West received an extended standing ovation for his impassioned memorial lecture.

"Because he personifies what he says, he has a kind of strength I have not seen in a long time," said Ann Arbor resident Ayron Smith-Douglas. "King fires my spirit. Malcolm fired my spirit. This is the breath that West personifies - the breath of Dr. King and Malcolm X that keeps the spirit alive."

West also spoke about the lawsuits that target the University's affirmative action policies.

"Right now, Michigan is at the center of the fight of affirmative action. We should not just protect affirmative action, but keep traditions of the humanity in each and everyone of us," West said.

West stressed the need for organization on the "intellectual, political, economic and cultural front."

"The way he tied affirmative action into (his lecture) made it more personal for us," said LSA junior Stephanie Siaw. "He was just riveting - he's an amazing orator."

West urged the audience to look ahead to the future when fighting current battles, and to "keep your eyes on the prize."

"No matter how much (King) was scorned, he would keep his eyes on the prize. What kind of life do you really want to live? Come what may, I want to go down fighting because I want to be part of the same tradition that Martin Luther King was," he said.

West discussed the dangers of a society in which white supremacy, male supremacy, racism, homophobia and anti-semitism exist.

"Is it possible to keep alive the tradition of struggle that Martin Luther King exemplified in our present dark and different times?" West asked.

West also talked about the corporate economy and market forces that affect the country today, and the inequality and isolation that results.

"Martin Luther King did not live to see what I believe is the distinctive feature of our era - the unprecedented releasing of market forces such that we have never seen ... The erosion of caring would produce more mean-spiritedness," he said.

West was introduced by Associate Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs Lester Monts, University President Lee Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor.

Ñ Daily Staff Reporter Peter Romer-Friedman contributed to this report.

01-20-98