So, who else is there? I am not, in fact, a lifelong Democrat. I was a Republican for several years, and this was tied a lot to my religion. I know I was ill-informed and thought I was making the right decisions. Today, I want to highlight the other left-leaning candidates in the 2024 election. I heard something super interesting this morning. People of Color are used to dealing with racism, fascism, and fighting against a system that was not built for them; we are doing that even today under Biden.
That said, today, I want to highlight Dr Cornel West.
Background
Professor * Philosopher * Author* Activist *
Dr. Cornel West, affectionately known to many as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. West teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects — including but by no means limited to, the classics, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. He has a passion to communicate to a vast variety 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.
Dr. West is the former Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. Cornel West graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton.
He has written 20 books and has edited 13. He is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His most recent book, Black Prophetic Fire, offers an unflinching look at nineteenth and twentieth-century African-American leaders and their visionary legacies.1
Political Career
Dr West initially aligned himself with the Green Party. However, he withdrew late in 2023 to run as an independent. In a post-Thursday (October 4th) on X, formerly known as Twitter, West said: “People are hungry for change. They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the duopoly’s grip and give power to the people.”
His Platform
There is a list of topics he aligns himself to; I have to say, this list is impressive. If accomplished, he could be great for the American people.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are the highlights of what he hopes to accomplish as President.
Economic Platform
- Abolish poverty
- Abolish homelessness
- Ensuring family-sustaining and living wages for all disability benefits
- National Jobs Program to assure full employment to every person
- 33% minimum worker representation for all Boards of Directors
- Transform Paid Family Leave to mandate a minimum of six-months fully paid time off
- End all pay discrepancies based on race, gender identity, disability status, etc.
Worker Justice
Environmental Justice
- Climate reparations and contribute fair share to the global loss and damage fund
- Justice for Cancer Alley and other energy and economic sacrifice zones
- Cancel the Willow Project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and all other harmful and unnecessary projects harming people and planet
- Establish a national Risk Bond program for the fossil fuel and mining industries and associated infrastructure
- Codify Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous people
- End water privatization and establish a commission to address and solve the drinking water crises across the nation
- Rescind the toxic provisions of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act
- Codify abortion rights as a Constitutional mandate
- Remove Transgender exclusions/limitations from all healthcare policies
- Nationalize the healthcare industry, including the pharmaceutical industry
- End medical apartheid and protect/increase rights for people with disabilities
Health Justice
Racial Justice
- Address the disproportionate mortality rate for Black pregnancies
- Require public review commissions for every police force in the nation
- Reinstate Section 4(b) and Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act
Sources: 1“Dr. Cornel West: About Dr. Cornel West: Official Web Site.” Dr. Cornel West | About Dr. Cornel West | Official Web Site, http://www.cornelwest.com/bio.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
2 West, Cornel. “Policy Pillars for a Movement Rooted in Truth, Justice, & Love.” Cornel West for President 2024, http://www.cornelwest2024.com/platform. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
The last question you may have is, would I vote for him? Yes, yes I would!
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Adventures of a Lonely, Bookish, Black Girl 
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