Renowned scholar Cornel West told audience members Tuesday night that if Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive, he would not be pleased with the state of race relations.
Not a single seat remained empty in the cramped auditorium as roughly 700 people listened earnestly to West at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.
Sporadic laughter and nods of affirmation and agreement broke an anxious silence Tuesday as West remembered and honored King.
West also spoke about other pressing issues that have affected society since King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech 40 years ago.
This was West's second appointment with UNC for King's birthday celebration, but last year's appearance was canceled due to an illness.
The committee asked him again this year, and West confirmed almost immediately, said senior Rob Moore, a member of the Chancellor's Committee for the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.
"He was our first choice, and he said yes as soon as we asked him," Moore said. "We have never confirmed a speaker so quickly."
West, a professor of religion and a scholar in African-American studies at Princeton University, has written numerous books on race relations, including the 1993 best-seller "Race Matters" and "The War Against Parents" and a spoken compact disc, "Sketches of My Culture."
West moved to Princeton after a public dispute with the president of Harvard University, where he had been a faculty member for eight years.
At Tuesday night's celebration, West remembered King as an intellectual who examined life. He said he was a wild man.
"We do not want to tame Martin Luther King Jr. We do not want to domesticate Martin Luther King Jr. ... like we do each year," West said. "Martin Luther King Jr. never bowed down."
West's speech focused on what King would think if he was alive today -- and West said King would shed a tear.
America is still scared of integration in schools, housing districts and the workplace, and many white people still do not see the need to increase minority presence in other areas, he said.
West characterized the views of whites today as being, "At 2 percent (minority presence) we're doing OK, at 5 percent we're well-integrated, but at 7 percent it's time to leave."
West also commented on public policy, affirmative action, the continuance of racism in America and the stigmas placed on black schools and black neighborhoods by the media.
Katie Fuller and Reena Arora, both members of Students for the Advancement of Race Relations, said they were both anxious to see West.
"I was curious to hear his comments on race relations," Fuller said. "I was happy he brought them to the floor and gave the audience an opportunity to react."
Senior Michael James said he was excited to hear and engage in West's speech. "In terms of a black intellectual, he is pretty powerful."
A candlelight vigil sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority Inc. took place outside South Building prior to West's speech and attracted close to 20 people.
Participants listened to songs by Vision, a student a cappella group, and a watched dance by a member of Opeyo! Modern, a performing subgroup of the Black Student Movement. They then walked from South Building to Hill Hall together in silence, their paths lit by candles in memory of King.
West concluded his speech by describing King's life and hopes for future generations.
"He was never optimistic," West said. "He was a prisoner of hope, and that's something else.
"(King's) hope was such ... there is nothing that's going to turn us around in our struggle for justice, freedom and equality."
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
