Cornel West announces BLM activist, professor Melina Abdullah as VP pick

Long-shot presidential candidate Cornel West tapped Melina Abdullah, a professor and one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter, as his running mate for his independent presidential bid.

West announced his pick on Wednesday’s episode of “The Tavis Smiley Radio Show” on KBLA radio.

“I wanted somebody whose heart, mind, and soul is committed to the empowerment of poor and working peoples of all colors,” West said. “Melina has a history of longevity of putting her heart, mind and soul in the struggle.”

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Melina Abdullah is a professor and a co-founder of Black Lives Matter. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

West commended Abdullah’s “unique Black analysis and witness” and “keen intellect.”

“At this historic and pivotal moment, it is my profound honor to stand alongside my dear sister, Dr. Melina Abdullah, a fierce and tireless advocate for truth, justice, and transformative change,” West said in a press release. “Sister Melina’s incredible courage, keen intellect, and deep vision have greatly served the cause of liberation in education, worker rights, and both racial and gender justice. Her unique Black analysis and witness helps us confront our crumbling era of empire, white supremacy, and patriarchy. I look forward to working with her as we strengthen our commitment in our campaign for truth, justice and love!”

‘Heart just soared’

Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African studies and formerly chaired the Department of Pan-African Studies at Cal State, said that her “heart just soared” when she was asked to be West’s vice president.

“I regard [West], and many of us regard him as one of the most brilliant people to walk this earth, and so I’ve been following him and have been really enthusiastic about his candidacy,” Abdullah said on Smiley’s show.

“He and his wife, Annahita, asked and immediately my heart just soared,” she said. “I said ‘yes’ immediately. Like, shouted ‘yes.’”

Progressive political activist and philosopher Cornel West is an independent candidate running for president in 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Abdullah said that she first met West when she was an undergraduate student at Howard University, but the pair recently reconnected at a Black Lives Matter event.

Muslim faith

The professor also discussed her Muslim faith during the segment, sharing that she hopes to bridge divisions.

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“When we talk about Islam we talk about people who submit to the will of God,” Abdullah said. “Christianity and Islam and every other faith, if you think about the core of who we are as spiritual people, we’re all aligned.”

Black Lives Matter co-founder Melina Abdullah leads a protest during a Los Angeles City Council meeting last year. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Abdullah has been outspoken on X, comparing the New York Police Department as the KKK.

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“The KKK, the police, and government officials are one in the same,” she wrote in a X post in Dec. 2023.

After the release of Beyoncé’s latest album release last month, which features the singer holding an American flag, Abdullah wrote on X, “The #AmericanFlag symbolizes the genocide of Indigenous people, the theft of their land, the enslavement, dehumanization, and exploitation of Black people, and settler colonialism. Critique around @Beyonce’s artistic choice is important and healthy, not hate.”

West’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.