Cornel West leaving Harvard amid dispute over tenure position

Philosopher and activist Cornel West announced on Monday that he is leaving Harvard University’s Divinity School.

West announced on Twitter that he will be moving to Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

“I am blessed to announce with my dear brother Mordecai Lyon of The Boycott Times that I am moving from Harvard to Union Theological Seminary in New York City! Our struggle for truth & justice continues with style & smiles!” West tweeted.

I am blessed to announce with my dear brother Mordecai Lyon of The Boycott Times that I am moving from Harvard to Union Theological Seminary in New York City! Our struggle for truth & justice continues with style & smiles! @TheBoycottTimes @mordecailyon https://t.co/9I9BSn66fD

— Cornel West (@CornelWest) March 8, 2021

Union Theological Seminary said in a statement that West will hold the position of the school’s prestigious Dietrich Bonhoeffer chair.

West previously served several tenures at Union, most recently from 2012-2016.

Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, said in a statement that West “lives and breathes the values that Union aims to instill in all of the future leaders, scholars, ministers, and activists we educate.”

“His esteemed legacy of engaging the most pressing problems facing our world — including racism, poverty, sexism, and so much more — is an inspiration to all, and illustrates the power of faith to create profound change,” Jones said.

The move comes after Harvard rejected West’s request to convert his nontenured position to a tenured one.

It’s unclear why Harvard rejected West’s request, but he previously speculated to The New York Times that it could have been due to his age or support for the Palestinian cause.

West told The Boycott Times that he could only take “so much hypocrisy.”

“There are wonderful people at Harvard, we know that. It has a great tradition of Du Bois and so many others, but I discovered that I can only take so much hypocrisy,” West told the Times. “I can only take so much dishonesty. I can only take so much pettiness in terms of ways in which I thought I was disrespected and devalued.”