Cornel West, a well-known Black philosopher, scholar, and activist, declared on Monday, June 6, that he will run for president of the United States in 2024 on the ticket of the People’s Party, a third party established by Sanders’ former campaign team.
In a video that was uploaded to social media, West declared: “I enter in the quest for truth, I enter in the quest for justice, and the presidency is just one vehicle to pursue that truth and justice — what I’ve been trying to do my entire life.”
Additionally, the 70-year-old explained why he was running as a third-party candidate, claiming that “neither political party wants to tell the truth about Wall Street, about Ukraine, about the Pentagon, about Big Tech.” As he discussed past
On the same day that West made his declaration, former Vice President Mike Pence submitted the necessary paperwork to begin his official campaign for the 2024 presidential elections. Along with Pence, other Republicans running for president include Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, and Larry Elder. Even though Biden has declared his candidature for reelection, Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson are fighting for the top spot.
The United States has a lengthy history of independent or third-party presidential candidates. Kanye West, a rapper better known as Ye, campaigned for president in the 2020 election and garnered about 70,000 votes.
West was born in Sacramento, California, in June 1953. While there, he often attended services at the neighbourhood Baptist church and was also strongly affected by the Black Panther Party’s philosophies because the party’s headquarters were nearby. He was introduced to Karl Marx’s writings by party members, who also assisted him in comprehending the necessity of political activism.
At the age of 17, West enrolled at Harvard University on a scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern languages and literature there, graduating magna cum laude. He subsequently went on to Princeton University to earn his MA and PhD in philosophy.
West is best recognised for his works like Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004) despite having written and edited about 30 books. Additionally, he has co-hosted a radio show, been mentioned in various documentaries, played a part in Hollywood productions, and put out hip-hop CDs. Currently, West co-hosts a podcast programme called The Tight Rope while teaching philosophy at Union Theological Seminary.
In his book Cornel West Reader from 2000, West referred to himself as a non-Marxist socialist who strives to combine socialism and Christianity in his writing. According to his website, the philosopher has a desire for communicating with a wide range of publics in order to “keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. — a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.” He has been an avid supporter and proponent of Marxist views.
He has frequently criticised the nation’s so-called neo-liberal policies, American foreign interventions, and the corporate lobbying culture. West has also criticised Barack Obama, a former president, loudly. The professor stated in a 2017 article that “Obama’s lack of courage to confront Wall Street criminals and his lapse in character in unintentionally ordering drone strikes led to rightwing populist revolts at home and ugly Islamic fascist rebellions in the Middle East.”
“And as deporter-in-chief — nearly 2.5 million immigrants were deported under his watch — Obama policies prefigure Trump’s barbaric plans,” he continued.
