Cornel West, a leading American thinker, social critic, author and academic, will be speaking at Saint Cloud State University. West will be keynote presenting on January 28th for the University’s Power in Diversity Leadership Conference. The conference carries the theme “Change-It starts with me!” The presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Atwood Memorial Ballroom and is open to the general public for $5.

A Harvard graduate, Princeton professor and a persistent critic of President Obama, West has been described as a socialist. In September West aligned himself with recent Occupy Movement calling it a “democratic awakening.”