Prof. Melina Abdullah of Cal State LA
Dr. Cornel West has tapped university professor and prominent Black Lives Matter activist Melina Abdullah to be his running mate on his long-shot presidential bid.
Abdullah has never run for political office before and is the former chair of the Pan-African Studies Department at Cal State Los Angeles.
“I wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of Fanny Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave,” West said. “Put a smile on their faces from the grave, and that’s the highest standard as you know that’s not a typical standard of the garden variety politician.”
The independent candidate announced his pick on Wednesday’s episode of the Tavis Smiley Radio Show on KBLA radio.
West is running as an independent candidate and still working to gain ballot access in most states. Naming his vice presidential pick allows him to now start collecting petition signatures to get on the ballot in about 20 more states.
