Princeton Professor Cornel West will receive the inaugural Fields Memorial Award for Social Justice at a reception at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, at 58 Prospect Ave., Room 104, on the Princeton University campus. The event is open to the public, but requires an RSVP.
The award, sponsored by the University's Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, recognizes innovators, scholars, activists and educators whose work and example have fundamentally shaped campus conversation at Princeton and have had transformative effects on the collective life of the University. The award honors the life and career of Carl A. Fields, the first African American senior-level administrator at Princeton. It is intended to honor those who demonstrate a strong and persistent commitment to enriching human experience in the areas of diversity, social justice, multicultural education and equality, while striving for an inclusive environment and a more just and socially responsible world.
West, the Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, is being honored for his work as a scholar, activist, public intellectual and leader on issues of social justice, race, equality and cultural understanding. The award selection committee consisted of Princeton faculty, staff and students.
West is a renowned public intellectual who frequently is quoted speaking on the intersection of American society, politics, race and class. A best-selling author, West is known for his groundbreaking book on race and America, "Race Matters" (1993), its sequel, "Democracy Matters" (2004) and his memoir, "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud" (2009).
Members of the campus community, general public and news media who wish to attend must RSVP via e-mail to cafaward@princeton.edu. The deadline is noon Saturday, May 1, for the campus community and general public, and noon Monday, May 3, for media.
