Anderson Cooper moved to tears while discussing George Floyd's funeral with Cornel West
Following George Floyd's emotional funeral Tuesday, Harvard University professor Cornel West made an appearance on Anderson Cooper 360, where he gave a moving speech that brought tears to the eyes of the CNN anchor.
"I saw brothers marching in, like in Shiloh Baptist Church, and pick up that coffin and go and walk out, my daughter was there, couldn’t take it, man. Been at this for over 50 years. And yet, I got to bounce back, and I will bounce back, because we got a love that the world can't take away," West stated as Anderson Cooper's eyes began to water.
"The world, white supremacy may make being black a crime," West continued. "But we refuse to get in the gutter. We will go down swinging like Ella Fitzgerald, Muhammad Ali, in the name of justice. And we do it for brother Wyatt, and we do it for my daughter, we're doing it for the Asians, we're doing it for the whole world. Because that is the only hope of the world and that kind of love is always tragic, comic and cruciform. You gotta get ready to be crucified with that kind of love."
"The Floyd family lifted up that spiritual moral banner in the midst of a moment in which we got all these lies and crimes and be it – to benefit the Pentagon, or Wall Street, or White House, or even Congress itself. We know they don't represent the best of this country. It's just that the best of this country right now seems to be so powerless," said West.
In today’s funeral for George Floyd there was "not one reference to hatred or revenge. It was all about love and justice," says Dr. @CornelWest.
"The Floyd family lifted up that spiritual moral banner in the midst of a moment in which we got all of the lies and crimes." pic.twitter.com/un1CtmXGFj— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 10, 2020
Following West's empowering speech, Cooper fought back tears as he shared, "I never had the honor of taking one of your classes. But I feel like I'm a student of yours and I learn lessons every time you speak." West reached out to Cooper, saying, "No, we're in it together, brother."
West added, "We cry because we care, we're concerned. It is not about political correctness, it's not about self-righteousness, we cry because we are not numb on the inside and we don't have a chilliness of soul and a coldness of mind and heart."
As Cooper and West continued their conversation about the importance of integrity, honesty and decency moving forward, West pointed out that what we were all seeing during Floyd's funeral was humanity, as his legacy is poised to change the world.
Anderson Cooper 360 airs weeknights at 8 p.m. on CNN.
Watch Former co-worker of George Floyd and Derek Chauvin claiming they ‘bumped heads’ in the past:
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