Jan. 26, 1998 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 EUGENE---African-American scholar, theologian and activist Cornel West believes that America needs leaders who can transcend race and strive for fundamental social change for all citizens, regardless of color. West, a Harvard University professor of afro-american studies and philosophy, will share his thoughts on how to reach that ideal at a free public lecture at the University of Oregon. The speech, titled "Restoring Hope," begins at 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, in the Ballroom of the Erb Memorial Union, 1222 E. 13th Ave. A reception, book sale and book signing follow. The Oregon Humanities Center is sponsor of the talk, which is the final event in the campus celebration of the legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. West is the author of the best-selling book, "Race Matters," which gained national media attention when it was published in 1993. The book, according to Newsweek, "is devoted to kicking butt and naming names." "My fundamental premise is that the black freedom struggle is the major buffer between the David Dukes of America and the hope for a future in which we can begin to take justice and freedom for all seriously," West says in the chapter on Black-Jewish relations. West graduated from Harvard magma cum laude in only three years. At Princeton University he received his master of arts degree in 1975, his Ph.D. in 1980 and then became head the Department of Afro-American Studies. He joined the Harvard faculty in 1994. He is the author of 13 books, including "Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin" and "Keeping Faith," which he co-authored with Michael Lerner. He also wrote "Restoring Hope: Conversations on the Future of Black America," a series of dialogues between West and nine of America's most influential artists, scholars and public figures. West is the 1998 Robert and Beverly Lewis Lecturer in the Humanities, created to bring national leaders in the humanities to the UO campus. For more information, contact the Oregon Humanities Center, (541) 346-3934. -30- #P-6049/A&E,Local,OrDailies,PDX