Celebrated (though not so much in some circles) activist and academic Dr. Cornel West will talk current events at a church in St. Pete Wednesday, the culmination of the three-night Heritage Lecture Series.
The event is put on by St. Petersburg College and Cross and Anvil Human Services, a community nonprofit run by Mt. Zion American Methodist Episcopal Church.
The lecture series is discussing a range of topics in light of recent events, including Florida's Stand Your Ground Law, recent incidents of police violence in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY, recent changes to voting laws and public education.
Cornel West has long been a vocal critic of what he considers institutional racism against African-Americans. A frequent CNN and FOX News commentator and guest on Real Time with Bill Maher, West grabbed headlines when he told Salon writer Thomas Frank that President Obama is just a "brown-faced Bill Clinton" and describer his presidency as "a Wall Street presidency, a drone presidency, a national security presidency."
Last fall he was arrested in Ferguson, MO while protesting the police shooting of unarmed teenager Mike Brown.
West is scheduled to speak at Mount Zion AME at 1045 16th St. S. at 7 p.m.
The first two speakers in the series are Douglas A. Blackmon, author of the book Slavery by Another Name, who spoke Monday night. Tonight's speaker is homeless activist and filmmaker Ira McKinley. Both were slated to talk at the Poynter Institute at 7pm Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2015.