An Evening With Cornel West

The evening, presented by Think Inc, began with Australian poet and author of Afro-Caribbean heritage, Maxine Beneba Clark, singing a snippet of The Good Old Way (the traditional American song thought to be composed by an African-American slave) that led into a story about ‘marngrook’, which means ‘game ball’ in the Gunditjmara language. Clarke’s vaguely sing-song, smooth, calm, rhythmic delivery made her sentences about how AFL descended from marngrook — among everything else that white Australians have claimed as theirs — burn all the more viciously.

In contrast, next guest, rapper L-Fresh The LION, who’s part of the Elefant Tracks family, rapped a cappella about truths, leaders and blessings, ruminating on the bigger goals and ideas in life. He dispensed his words of wisdom with a captivating flow and a warming air of positivity.

Australian Aboriginal Gumbainggir activist and academic Dr Gary Foley was next on the mic. In his fervent and often cheeky manner, he schooled the audience on some key points of Aboriginal history and reinforced that Australia is still undoubtedly a fundamentally racist country (more Aboriginal people are incarcerated than ever before; Adam Goodes still manages to somehow disrupt notions of white supremacy with a simple show of Indigenous culture/celebration – just listen to how offended everyone on talkback radio was) and made links between Australia’s racism against Indigenous Australians and America’s racism against African-Americans. He implored progressive Australians, including “the good Anglo Australians here tonight”, to do more to address racism: “In your own group of friends there are incorrigible racists!” Judging from the audience’s enthusiastic response and constant applauding, there were a large number of Indigenous Australians and allies in attendance.

Finally, comedian Aamer Rahman took to the stage to introduce the man of the evening, Dr Cornel West — philosopher, academic, author, activist. West said to Rahman, “I’m old school, you’re new school, but the same struggles.” Over the next hour or so, with just the right amount of subtle steering from Rahman, West traversed through a great number of topics to do with race, class, philosophy, politics and more; regardless of individual knowledge of such topics, every audience member was bound to have left enlightened and/or challenged. West’s speaking cadence was almost musical, some stretches of speech so eloquent — and often accompanied by stirring hand gestures — they could have been spoken word poems.

Speaking about Indigenous Australian issues, he said, “There is no such thing as an Aboriginal problem,” rather that catastrophes are put upon them. He spoke about his “vanilla brothers and sisters”, reiterating that while he hates white supremacy he does not – can not – hate white people – “Don't hate the oppressors, hate the oppression”; he said he’s got white supremacy inside of him, and he’s got to kill it too. “History deposits these things inside of us and we gotta kill it.”

Dr West criticised African-Americans in positions of privilege and power who are complicit in their silence — like President Obama (a “symbol of progression” who pierced the glass ceiling, but went on to provide ways of hiding and concealing ways of injustice) and Oprah Winfrey, a “bourgeois sister”. While he consistently dropped the names of iconic black jazz and blues musicians as examples of spirit done right, he lamented that mainstream hip hop — no longer a fringe genre and much more political in other countries than in the US nowadays – is deafeningly silent on issues.

Addressing #BlackLivesMatter, West said that in Michael Brown’s case, Brown was so disrespected that it “pushed young people to the edge” and that “the roots of a system will define how it will always operate”, in regard to a society built upon slavery and genocide. He also acknowledged and praised that the movement is led by black queer women, and was inclusive of the LGBTQI community throughout.

It was great to see an incredibly diverse audience, and there was no sign of white people attempting to speak over people of colour, which apparently happened on the Perth leg of the Dr West tour. Even the audience questions at the end were insightful and well thought out — not indulgent or statements dressed up as a question, as they so often are at lit events. One answer Dr West gave really captured the essence of his whole vibe; it was in response to an African-Australian woman’s question about how to overcome hatred or resentment of oppressors in the face of discrimination. He said that we’ve got to try to have “militant tenderness and subversive sweetness and a radical gentleness” so that our fight for justice can be a marathon through life.