
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994                   TAG: 9403310107
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WEST BUILDS A CASE FOR CHANGE

As Cornel West sees it, the struggle for equality among whom he calls "we ordinary folk" - those of us who aren't kings, queens, or members of an otherwise named elite - is endless. The obstacles between us and our goal are immense.

But the reason to join is simple.

"We're not here that long. So the question becomes . . . can you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning and be happy about what you see?"

And so West, author of the best-selling "Race Matters," launched a 90-minute talk to a standing-room-only crowd at Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.

He offers his philosophy of radical democracy now, during what he called "one of the most frightening and terrifying moments in history."

Citing statistics and methodically building his case for change, West, director of Princton University's Afro-American Studies program, used a strong sense of humor and lively style to put across his very serious point.

Downward mobility is across-the-board - 42 percent wage deflation for 15 years, he said. Young people wonder what's in it for them, other than the ubiquitous part-time jobs of the '90s, said West.

"People feel as if things are out of control, and they look for people West in control," he said - thus giving soapboxes to xenophobes, or control freaks of similar type. Scapegoats are found.

At the same time, wealth is more concentrated than ever - 1 percent of the population owns 48 percent of total financial wealth, he said. The gap is huge.

"If there's a sacred cow, it is economic growth by means of corporate priorities," he said.

And so corporations come before "everyday folk."

Cultural decay is undeniable, community support is nil and the market-driven morals of the country put stimulation before love, he said.

"There is a sense of spiritual impoverishment," he said. "Stimulation is an escape from lack of community, lack of loyalty."

A recent study showed that 40 percent of young black men in their late teens and early 20s say they have no best friend.

"What is it like to be in the world all alone?" said West.

Posing, posturing - the gangster mentality - flourishes not just on the street, but in "high places" like corporations and government.

"There is a creeping zeitgeist of coldheartedness and mean spiritedness."

It is, therefore, time for a public conversation, West said. Prepare by learning history. Note that American social unrest breaks out every 30 or so years. The country last went through it in the '60s. And look at how regular folks who are heros are elevated to superhero status: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X. Think of them as people.

"History is a matter of individuals working alongside other individuals," West said.

Show empathy. And have the courage to be self-critical, he said.

"There is no blueprint for how to get out. All we have is each other."

But: "It is always dawn. Day breaks forever. All we need is a window of opportunity."

by CNB