We are witnessing America as a failed social experiment.

How do we tell this story in a way that builds the kind of emotional momentum

that colorblind ideology built?

So many young brothers and sisters of the younger generation find themselves so far removed

in the best of their past.

What are we going to make out of the nothing we've been given?

How do you envision possibility?

Hey everyone. Welcome to the tightrope. I'm here with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Cornell West,

and we're really delighted that you're here joining us. We have a special edition of the tightrope here

where we're trying to give some time to really discuss what's recently been in the news regarding Dr. West's non-tenured appointment at Harvard and their apparent refusal to offer him tenure.

And I think, you know, the tightrope is the kind of place where we want to have an open, frank, and, you know, meaningful conversation about the broader context for this.

So, Cornell, it's really good to see you and, of course, to be with you as always.

Always a blessing for me, my dear sister, Trish.

Indeed, indeed.

Yes, well, this has been a bit of a trying week or so, I'm sure.

Let's sort of tell people basically what has happened and,

you know, what your, you know, just the basics for a minute. Because I mean, although we're

cutely aware, some of our tightrope people may not be fully appraised. So what exactly happened,

Cornell? Well, the backdrop is that I've been in the Academy 44 years. I've lived a very

blessed life in the Academy and outside, teaching in prisons, community, churches, mosque, synagogues,

and others. And I received tenure at Yale. And we were there together at Yale, 1984. That's 37 years ago.

And I became a university professor at Princeton,

...