Francesca Calarco's Reviews > Race Matters

In Race Matters, Dr. Cornel West addresses a number of race-related issues with a collection of eight thought-provoking essays. Published in 1993, many of these explorations focus on case studies of the period. That said, given Dr. West’s progressive analyses and sensibilities, his preponderances were quite ahead of their time.

“Race” may be in the title, but at the heart of each of these essays lies a desire to understand and dismantle any type of unjust power imbalance. Given this framework, in addition to an overview of racism in America, this collection also offers critiques of the black community including: (in)actions to Clarence Thomas, nihilism, what Dr. West considered a lack of black leadership (in the 90s), black conservatism, anti-Semitism, and any type of self-loathing that undervalued black bodies.

"My goal is to be as bold and defiant in my criticism of any type of xenophobia, as honest and candid about the need for civil responsibility and social accountability of each of us, and as charitable and compassionate toward any political perspective from which we can gain insight and wisdom to empower us." (109)

Dr. West is undeniably an academic writer; this combined with his straight-forward honesty makes this collection a compelling read. My only critique would be that given the broad range of topics he covers, I do wish that he would have expanded a bit more upon some of these prompts. This is not to say that anything is underdeveloped, I just wish there was more material.

Overall, this is a great collection that still “matters” immensely today. I definitely recommend it.