Cornel Ronald West was born on 2 June 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma USA, and is an author, philosopher, and social activist, best known for being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He’s also the first African American to graduate from Princeton with a Ph.D. All of his endeavors have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Cornel West? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $500,000, mostly accumulated through the numerous projects he’s been a part of. He’s written several books and is often seen in various television shows. He’s also made appearances in a few films, and all of these activities have ensured the position of his wealth.
Cornel West Net Worth $500,000
West attended John F. Kennedy High School, and during his time there became a part of several civil rights demonstrations. After matriculating in 1970, he attended Harvard College and started focusing on philosophy subjects. Three years later, he graduated as magna cum laude with a degree in Near Eastern languages and civilization. Afterwards, he decided to work for a few local programs.
In 1980, he earned his Ph.D. from Princeton and would later release a book based on his dissertation called “The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought”. He returned to Harvard to become an Assistant Professor at Union Theological Seminary. In 1984, he attended Yale Divinity School and participated in more protests. He returned to the Union for one more year before going back to Princeton to become a professor, where he became the director of the African-American Studies program until 1994, and then became a professor at Harvard University. Four years later, he was appointed as the first Alphonse Fletcher University Professor which allowed him to teach several topics. He also started writing books, and published over 20 of them, receiving an American Book Award and recognition from the World Cultural Council.
West’s popularity also led him to an entertainment career, in which he appeared in “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions”. He also made appearances in several documentary films including “Examined Life” and “Still Bill”. He became a guest on political talk shows and would have an appearance in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”. He also guest starred in “30 Rock” and would even go on and try his hand at hip hop music. These projects contributed to his net worth too.
One of his most notable disputes was with former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers who became president of Harvard in 2000. The two didn’t get along well, and Summers reportedly criticized a lot of West’s work, both academic and as an activist. After West left Harvard, he would call out Summers in public interviews, talking about his inappropriate and intolerable behavior.
Recognition of Cornel’s abilities is proven by him being awarded over 20 honorary degrees.
For his personal life, it is known that Cornel is very outspoken in terms of issues such as white supremacy and racism. He refers to himself as a “non-Marxist socialist” drawing a line in between Christianity and Marxism. He publicly supported Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign, but would criticize the president.
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