"I love American more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." ~ James Baldwin
“We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and the denial of my humanity and right to exist.” ~ James Baldwin.
I bought the collection of his writings last year. In my 70s, I just want to see how much I can absorb and understand from such a genius. If it is 1% then it is 100% of what I didn’t know yesterday!
I love James Baldwin, and his work shaped much of my thinking. He writes with such depth about the human condition, his work helped me to understand others better with empathy. He was a Renaissance man. Thank you. How wonderful to see him getting the chance to be re-introduced to the younger generation. 😊
I just watched Baldwin's whole debate about the American Dream. His striking arguments were far ahead of his time. His eloquence in the art of speech was nearly unmatched, barring MLK. Happy Birthday Mr. Baldwin.
God I love him … his collection of short stories Nobody Knows My Name .. “ Sonny’s Blues” is a favorite… I discovered Baldwin in middle school … used to run to a locally owned bookstore in Slidell, LA and flip the book to the back to see if the author looked ( picture) like me and I’d buy the book! Then zip back to my school and hope I didn’t miss the bus !
Brilliant man who saw the inherent hypocrisy of the U.S.A of his era. He lived through a time of turbulence, searching & groping for comprehension of, and a way out, of the black predicament, as well as a way forward. A man of great rationality, he possessed also a wry sense of humor, which I'm sure he recognized as a necessary quality, both for his own peace & sanity, and when presenting himself before the public. HIs intellectualism was obvious but he wasn't a firebrand in the standard 60's sense. There was enough hatred & turmoil in that troubled era to go around. His was a voice of, not appeasement or surrender, but of facing calmly the brutal social-realities confronting his people, never losing faith in the ultimate good of his native-born land. Mr. Baldwin was a great voice & a great American. I'm glad he's being remembered & celebrated in our own equally troubling time.
No to be too dramatic but Baldwin's writing saved me when I was a young writer. I discovered him at age 11 and I've been re-reading ever since. My favorite is Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone. What's yours?
In so many ways Baldwin was a man outside his time (ahead of it actually) who observed what this country was (and wasn't -- its false promises). He had the gift to write and speak about it with an eloquence and acuity that shakes the foundations of tired presuppositions. All is (still) not right with America.
This is crazy! I just gave a reading assignment to my freshman students on James Baldwin. These are students from another side of the black diaspora - Sierra Leone, in West Africa.
Really? “The Cambridge debating society in London.” Is there no editor around? Precision; clarity and heartfelt honesty still make Jimmy’s words soar. What makes his genius singulary classic, though is his ability to show how suffering can be transformed into love -even when it’s terrifying and painful. “And if you lie about love, you’ll lie about anything.”
To know that this man was so intelligent at seeing America for what it always was. Ken Burns understood this immediately. Why do you think he had Mr. Baldwin comment about the fallacy of liberty in his acclaimed special STATUE OF LIBERTY?❤
THANK YOU merci merci, for his Portrait of JAMES BALDWIN at 100 ~ Fabulous! Honest! Integrationist is a great reference . M Sophia Santiago, Spain 2024 .
I like the way they cut off Mr. Baldwin speech at the 58 second mark when he was about to explain people classified as black are aboriginal to this land. Great editing CBS!
An amazing delight to witness this as it is such an honor to have role models such as Mr. Baldwin among our communities. ❤ you can do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone but 1st we must believe. ❤ The glory of God surrounds us. 🎉
the Baldwin - Buckley debate is a classic of rhetoric that still has relevance to our current time. Its on youtube watch the whole thing; you'll be better informed about our nation.
I say this about many activists, at the time of his death, he wasn’t done with his work but considering the types of work, it shouldn’t take one’s life time to solve the issues he witnessed the world face. He would have been 100 & we still haven’t extinguished those issues. What I don’t say about a lot of people is that James is one of my favorite people God ever made.
Brilliant,bold , amazing, he was a champion for us - he used his art to speak for us to break the chains of paradigms that would dare attempt to constrain him- a dear american treasure Mr. James Baldwin ❤
I absolutely loved this! Also, for anyone who’s interested, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou were dear friends, and this is one of the most profound conversations I’ve heard regarding various matters of their time which still have relevance today: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O6sFgaZBs-U.htmlsi=REHStbHWJwIR4GZU
Bling-obsessed NBA and rap culture could take notes from Baldwin's hard-fought eloquent thoughts on race and displacement in African-American life. His final interview worth reading as well (good PBS doc.on his France years a few years ago, and honored in a quarter-completed Writer Fighters II as well!).
You just had to come on here with the black conservative talking points to derail everything! SMH! Even Baldwin, himself, never devolved into using these talking points.
why would you write this? You highlight Baldwin and bookend it with an ignorant take. Baldwin deeply understood the human condition... you do not. At all.
How did this get on the air unedited? The Cambridge Union obviously isn’t in London. Is the narrator so uninformed as to think London and England can be used interchangeably? 😂😂😂 How old is the narrator? An adolescent?
I think the Cambridge Union might actually be in Cambridge NOT London - it's 60 miles away. What kind of fact checking does this news organisation do?!
How did I know this man would make more of James Baldwin being gay than he did of him being black first. This man is a genius and he used his genius to benefit black people but you're sitting here with this pile of "he was gay" nonsense. Get to what his black concerns were and not speculating about his private business. I assure you his grateful black people do not care about what he was doing at night. Thank you.
