Owen Huelsbeck, first-year student and Johnson Scholar at Santa Clara University, was chosen to interview Dr. Cornel West during his visit to the University. Owen is a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Luminary Leader and former Dean of the UUA General Assembly Youth Caucus– Ed.

"Love the Hell Out of Ferguson"

Read the transcribed notes from Owen Huelsbeck's interview of Dr. West here.

During the interview before Dr. West’s talk to the University he talked pretty candidly about Ferguson, but mostly in regards to the large, organized demonstrations taking place there soon that Dr. West will attend. (Protests will be held in Ferguson, Mo. Oct. 10–13, 2014 – Ed.)

He spoke about how angry the people are, and how anger is wanting to change the way things are, but courage is the hope to change the way things are. That’s not to say anger is a bad thing, he says there is a certain threshold in which rage builds up until it becomes a turning point, and with a little hope and love injection justice can be achieved. Wanting to change unjust things is a good thing, in fact, he says the movement of justice is to be mal-adjusted to injustice. When asked more specifically about his goals for these demonstrations, he said the most important thing he wants to achieve is letting the people of Ferguson know they are loved. We are who we are because someone loved us, and too many of these young men and women feel unloved, superfluous, and disposable. That is the worst form of injustice. Anything that involves the subordination of God’s people needs to be changed.

Statement from the Unitarian Universalist Association on the violence in Ferguson, MO