Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Cramton Auditorium served as host to Dr. Cornel West April 6, 2025, as the featured speaker at its Sunday service. West, who has spoken at Howard numerous times over 30 years, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. The author of 20 books teaches courses on a range of topics including religion, critical thought, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. Long known as a prolific and unabashed purveyor of truth as he sees it, West is a Princeton University professor emeritus and former Harvard University professor. 

West spoke on the topic “In Times Such as These.” His sermon leaned heavily on his experience as a Christian, though he also celebrated believers from all faiths and those who are agnostic or atheist. At times like these, he said, we need an anchor, he said, which for him is Jesus Christ. 

He began by pointing out how Black people have helped people around the world learn to explore their spirituality even in the face of adversity, starting with the culture’s unique adaptation of music. 

“We must not allow the mainstream to reduce our music just to entertainment,” West said. "They are not just singing to stimulate and titillate you. They are singing to speak deep inside of your heart and soul. Black music is the greatest tradition in the modern world of spiritual fortitude, artistic creativity and moral courage."

“When Roberta Flack of Howard University died, she didn’t die as an entertainer, she died as a soul sharer that affected us and helped us preserve our sanity and our dignity and that’s true for her friend Donny Hathaway too,” he added. 

Black genius comes in numerous forms and should be embraced. In times like these, he said, we need plain, unintimidated free speech and frank speech. Each one of us has a unique voice, he said, just like a fingerprint.

“That’s why I appreciate Stokely Carmichael coming out of Howard,” he said. “That’s why I appreciate Toni Morrison coming out of Howard University. They had the courage to speak the truth as they understood it and share it with the world.”

You can’t deal with times like these and just be an echo.”

“You can’t deal with times like these and just be an echo,” he continued. “If you are going ascend to the highest level, you’ve got to find your voice.”

West spoke about the “gangsterization” of the most powerful forces in the world and how that has led to the suffering of the oppressed. God, he said, gives everybody a sanctity and a dignity that cannot be taken away. Gangsterization, he said, makes empathy the enemy and compassion a form of weakness. Morality, then, he said, is just a form of arbitrary power imposed. He warned against military overreach and rampant corruption, noting that there have been 70 empires in the history of the world and most of them have come and gone. 

Often these forces try to convince Black people that they are less than other people, he argued. They are often trying to convince Black people that they are inferior, don’t measure up, and need to hate themselves. Blacks, he said, have been able to withstand 400 years of trauma and still teach the world about love, wounded healing, and joy. Howard, he said, has been a key part of the ability of the Black community to rise above challenging circumstances.

“Thank God for Howard University,” West said. “At its best, reinforcing the self-respect, reinforcing the self-confidence, reinforcing the self-regard and then spreading it to each other.”

Everybody has to deal with the “gangster” inside themselves, according to the speaker. Mass incarceration, poverty, decrepit school systems, inadequate housing, and lack of health care are issues society must address. Each person can contribute to the world in their own unique way, “with our own smiles and our own styles.” He encouraged those present not to give up on their integrity, honesty, and decency. 

“You don’t have to put folks down of any color in order to put yourself up,” West insisted.

West called those present to follow Jesus’ example and love conditionally. No one needs permission to exercise love, he counseled. Love, though community and solidarity, is what it takes during times like these. Being true to your calling, he argued, is what is required. 

“When you love, you protect, you respect, but you also correct,” he said.