In this podcast Mona Siddiqui speaks to the world renowned American philosopher and public intellectual, Professor Cornel West. Born in Oklahoma, Professor West is Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University. With over 20 books and countless media appearances to his name, he is one of the most eloquent commentators on race and American culture today. Here he speaks of his loving upbringing, the philosophical influences on his life, racism and oppression in America, and why he feels that as a Christian, despair can never be the last word.