Race Matters
Cornel West's 1993 essays on race, leadership and moral authority in America.
At a glance
Essays
Nihilism in Black America, The Crisis of Black Leadership, Beyond Affirmative Action …
See all 4Reception
Michiko Kakutani, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews
See all 3Connections
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- West examines moral authority and racial debate in the United States, taking in economics, politics, ethics and spirituality.
- The book collects an introduction and eight essays, many first printed in The New York Times Magazine, Dissent and Z Magazine.
- They address nihilism in Black America, the crisis of Black leadership, Black conservatism, affirmative action, Black-Jewish relations, sexuality and Malcolm X.
Why it matters
- It established West as one of the nation's leading public intellectuals.
Key facts
Essays
Reception
-
Michiko Kakutani1
Praised its "ferocious moral vision" but called its solutions "vague and sentimentally utopian".
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The Washington Post1
Compared parts of it to Martin Luther King Jr., Du Bois and Baldwin.
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Kirkus Reviews1
Praised its clear thinking but said West curtailed his usual range.
Connections
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Links
Sources
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