SYRACUSE – Dr. Cornel West, a democratic intellectual, philosopher and civil rights and political activist, will present a talk at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27 at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, 515 Oakwood Ave., Syracuse. Entitled, “Connecting the Dots: Poverty, Racism and Drones,” West is speaking as part of the National Spring Days of Actions Against Drones. The talk is free and open to the public.

The event is organized by the Syracuse Peace Council and the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, and has numerous sponsors. Expecting high attendance, organizers explained that the church can seat up to 600 people and there is also standing room. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and seating is general admission.

When asked about the meaning of the talk’s title Ursula Rozum, an organizer for the event, said, “I think there are connections to be made (between poverty, racism and drones). A lot of us see the connection.” She is excited about the event and feels that West will be able to make a very clear and powerful statement about the situation.

She explained that the Peace Council decided to invite West after learning of his speech at CodePink’s anti-drone summit in 2013. In that speech West explored the ties between racism, imperialism and militarism.