Although an African American man is president of the last remaining superpower, Cornell West argues that there is a crisis in black leadership in America. West argues that many black politicians are no longer like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr. or how many of today’s intellectual black African Americans do not really have to struggle with their knowledge and their community as W. E. B. Du Bois had too. (West, pg.62) Cornell West uses three examples of the black politicians in today’s society and compares them to the politicians of the past. He does the same when talking about African American intellectual leaders. I will talk about three things: how he sees the crisis in political leaders, intellectual leaders, and how he thinks these…show more content… Cornell states, “The black suits with white shirts worn by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., signified the seriousness of their deep commitment to black freedom…”(West, pg. 57) West starts with showing the political leaders in the past by contrasting them to the leaders in today’s society. As he goes on to say, “…today the expensive tailored suits of black politicians symbolize their personal success and individual achievement” (West, pg. 57). West can see that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. passionate towards their causes when talking about the condition of black situations. He goes on to say that, politicians today are focusing on themselves. West continues to break down three types of black politicians in today’s society: race-effacing managerial leaders, race-identifying protest leaders, and race transcending prophetic…show more content… West goes on to explain the three type of black scholars. The first being the race distancing elites, these scholars seem to reveal a self-hatred and distance themselves from the black community. The second is the race embracing rebels. These scholars see themselves as a W. E. B Du Bios but this is an inaccurate comparison. West describes them as, “stereotypical black college professors who thrived on being “big fish in a little pond.” (West, pg. 65) These scholars also tend to show a bit of racism towards the white academies by making similar academies headed by themselves with a more African American setting. The third type of intellectual leader is the race-transcending rebel. These scholars refuse to conform into their normal settings and wanted more than what society expected of them to be because of their race. Cornell West sees that there is starting to be less of race transcending and more of race distancing and race embracing and that this is another reason that black leadership is experiencing a