Ask Princeton University's Dr. Cornel West about his views on Black History Month, and somehow the conversation ends up with a sharp critique of the Obama administration. This article profiles West who pulls no punches when it comes to his advocacy for impoverished Americans. For more than three decades, the 58-year-old philosopher has combined his work in the academy with a grassroots form of activism, which West views as continuing the Black prophetic tradition established by historical forerunners of the modern-day civil rights movement. West's work has taken him into some of the nation's most elite classrooms and into some of the most impoverished parts of the country advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable. In between teaching and organizing, he has mentored a legion of younger scholars such as Princeton professors Dr. Imani Perry and Dr. Eddie Glaude; Georgetown University's Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; and Dr. Matthew Briones, assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago. West shows no signs of slowing down. He recently completed a new book with Smiley called "The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto," scheduled to be released in April. He continues to crisscross the country speaking in crowded churches, college auditoriums and at rallies aimed at addressing economic inequality.