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JAMES A. BALDWIN
“Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.” - James Baldwin
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James A. Baldwin
When you hear the name James Baldwin, what comes to mind? One would most likely answer the civil rights movement and other names like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks would quickly come to mind. These are highlighters of the civil rights movement during its dark days. Agitating was never enough back then, being able to be heard was the most essential part of living at that time. One voice that stood those times was James Arthur Baldwin.
James Arthur Baldwin was born in 1924 to a family with a father whose absence was strongly to have been related to drug abuse. His mother, Emma Berdis, left her fist husband and later married a preacher named David Baldwin. David turned out to be paranoid and abusive and Emma eventually had him committed to a mental institution. James grew up in the harsh whimpers of loneliness, as society had a harsh way of reminding him he was black. James said of the time that he knew he was black, but he also knew he was smart.
Growing up in Harlem was a muse Baldwin shared all the time as he started writing at an early age. He later converted his works into prose, essays, poems and even books. Known for his outspoken heart, James had started by taking up small roles in school plays.
This invigorated the talent of standing before people to voice out his heart and be heard by many, who had the heart to listen. Later in his life, he recounted the many experiences of growing up in Harlem, his views on religion, sexuality of man, going abroad to live after the suicide of his friend and so many other experiences.
by Partayke Contributor
"The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe what white people say about you. Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity and fear”
Today in our society, people like James Arthur Baldwin have created a platform for civil rights by which the world lives on. Due to the level of racism suffered during his time that lead to the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and several other civil rights icons of the time, Baldwins' life and stories have enacted society to still believe hence the empowering hashtag ‘Black Lives Matter’.
As a writer, Baldwin never succumbed to any characterization, rejecting every political label, sexual label. He questioned the notion of racial identity as he wrote in his book ‘The Fire Next Time’ “Color is not human or a personal reality”. James was always obsessed in making all beings equal. This is what the free world is all about, equality among all people, no segregation of whatsoever kind. Ideology such as Baldwin's has really had an impact on society as we continue to strive for equality for all.
Approaching sensitive subjects and themes was something James took great pride in. James also questioned the idea of institutionalization as he wrote in the essay My Dungeon Shook, “The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe what white people say about you. Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity and fear”
Time, they say , passes on as well as heal all wounds. Perhaps to expedite the process, society can greatly benefit from the writings of such a brilliant writer, essayist and poet like James Arthur Baldwin to heal its wounds.
Partayke - James A. Baldwin Celebrating Black History
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