BY C. CLARK KISSINGER (Manager, Revolution Books) | On Saturday, November 15, the revolutionary Christian Dr. Cornel West will be in Dialogue with the revolutionary communist leader Bob Avakian, live and in person, on “Revolution and Religion: The Fight for Emancipation and the Role of Religion” — at The Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive & 120th St.), from 3–7 p.m. The event is being sponsored by Chelsea’s Revolution Books on 26th St.
There are three big reasons why people should buy their tickets now and get to this Dialogue.
First, the Dialogue will be a very rare chance to see the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Bob Avakian, live and in person, and hear what this architect of a whole new framework for humanity’s emancipation is saying about the prospects for revolution and the transformations needed for people to truly get free.
Second, it’s a chance to see Bob Avakian and Cornel West, one of the most important and courageous intellectuals of our time, share a public stage together for the first time. They will be exploring important things they agree on (and don’t), and will no doubt surprise and challenge their audience to think more deeply — all in an atmosphere of love, mutual respect, and principled struggle between two people with a shared passion for human emancipation.
Third, it’s a chance to experience what both speakers have to say on revolution and religion. The topic of religion (in all its various forms) matters deeply to billions all around the world, shaping people’s thinking and actions. But what is religion’s role in fighting injustices and in advancing towards a truly emancipatory social revolution? Can religion help, or is it a hindrance? These are some of the questions Avakian and West will explore together.
This unprecedented Dialogue is by far the most significant event Revolution Books has ever sponsored, and it is drawing a broad and unique mix of support. A Host Committee of esteemed academics, artists, theologians, and parents of children killed by the police has gathered. They include former U.S. poet laureate Robert Hass, Dr. Donald Shriver (President Emeritus of Faculty, Union Theological Seminary, NY), actors Peter Coyote and Ed Asner, and professor Kwame Anthony Appiah (NYU).
Attorneys, former prisoners, seminarians, artists, relatives of those incarcerated have written support statements (check them out at revcom.us). Alice Walker writes: “This conversation with brothers West and Avakian will be an opportunity to explore other realms of thought, leading, hopefully, to other possibilities of Direction Change.” Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o says: “A discussion on the role of religion in the struggle for material and spiritual emancipation of the human has never been so necessary.”
Those this society has cast off — the oppressed, from the projects in Harlem, in Chicago and elsewhere — are being welcomed and organized to come.
Revolution Books is thrilled to be producing this event, which speaks so powerfully to our mission: building a movement for revolution and emancipating humanity. We want to invite everyone in Chelsea to The Riverside Church that day and to visit this unique bookstore, the one place in New York City where people can find the books and deep engagement about why the world is as it is and how it could be radically different.
Go to Indiegogo to check out a five-minute Dialogue video, and contribute as much as you can to subsidize tickets for youth with no funds, and to spread the word about this historic event. Volunteers are welcome and needed to work on the Dialogue. Please call or come in! Get your tickets at Revolution Books or at revolutionbooksnyc.org. For more information, call 212-691-3345.
Anyone with an interest in human emancipation should be at The Riverside Church on November 15!
C. Clark Kissinger is the manager of Revolution Books, located at 146 W. 26th St. (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.). The store is open daily from 12–7 p.m. For more information on the venue, visit theriversidechurchny.org.
