Dr. Cornel West Calls Out ‘Shadow of Jim Crow’ In Scathing Resignation Letter to Harvard Over Tenure Dispute Dr. Cornel Ronald West‘s fight to secure tenure at Harvard has come to an end. In a lengthy and scathing letter uploaded to his Twitter account earlier this week, the philosopher and political activist announced his resignation from the university. He also claimed the prestigious institution was on a decline. Cornell West introduces Colin Kaepernick at the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal Award Ceremony at Harvard University on October 11, 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images) “This is my candid letter of resignation to my Harvard Dean,” the renowned scholar captioned the document. “I try to tell the unvarnished truth about the decadence in our market-driven universities! Let us bear witness against this spiritual rot!”