Race Matters

work by West

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July 13, 2026

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Race Matters is a 1993 book by American philosopher, scholar of African American studies, and political activist Cornel West. Published after the verdict in the Rodney King case, the book addresses the "crisis" of Black leadership in the United States and laments the spiritual impoverishment of the African American underclass. West's work combines democratic socialism, Christian morality, and American pragmatism to analyze issues of race, class, and justice. The book also touches on Black-Jewish relations and the significance of the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.12

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Cornel West
His influential book Race Matters (1993) lamented what he saw as the spiritual impoverishment of the African American underclass and critically examined the “crisis” of Black leadership in the United States.
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His influential book Race Matters (1993) lamented what he saw as the spiritual impoverishment of the African American underclass and critically examined the “crisis” of Black leadership in the United States.
Read More