today, we are honoring the immeasurable james baldwin. aldwin was raised in new york city by his mother and stepfather, who was a baptist preacher from new orleans. while attempting to which clinton high school, baldwin briefly became a preacher at fireside pensacola symbol, but ultimately, heat rejected religion. after graduating from high school, he moved to new york's greenwich village and split time writing and working odd jobs. this solution and frustrated by the relentless racism and homophobia he experienced as a gay black man, baldwin moved to paris at the age of 24. though he returned home frequently, it was in europe he would publish most of his work. baldwin's plays, essays,, novels and the homes have received critical and cultural acclaim and continue to receive night today. there's so much to say about this remarkable man, and his nation defining canon of writing. but today, we are examining the fire next time. it's this collection of essays that cemented as one of america's greatest thinkers and preeminent writers. the fire n

it's james baldwin.n and of itself, because i wanted to honor his legacy in the way that i thought it should be honored. jeffrey: and now, a celebration of the centennial of his birth, including an exhibition at the national portrait gallery called "this morning, this evening, so soon: james baldwin and the voices of queer resistance," which takes its name from a short story he published in 1960. another at the schomburg center for research in black culture, titled "jimmy: god's black revolutionary mouth," presenting a selection of baldwin's archive of personal papers. there's a new album by singer-songwriter and bassist, meshell ndegeocello, called "no more water: the gospel of james baldwin." ♪ and reissues of seminal works with new introductions and artwork. >> what is the best lesson you have learned being in the spiritual community that you are in with james baldwin? jeffrey: along with a podcast, "the baldwin 100," in which host cree myles talks with contemporary writers and thinkers. what is his r

james baldwin, of course, and the formative african-american writer. but i really would caution people don't just connect with james baldwin, because he speaks so eloquently about the african-american experience. ends connect with james baldwin because he connects eloquently with universal human experience. so that's what all great writers do. and whenever he talks about in that great essay, she has a stranger in the village, he talks about being in switzerland and being the only person of color in this little village. you know, on one level, it's a commonplace sign of race. on another level, it's a contemplation of the degree to which all of us, whatever our walks of life at some point, we're outsiders. and he connects with that experience. so powerful and with such poetic sentences that he's just a writer, that everybody should read. danny heitman the norton anthology has been expanded over the years to include newer writers. i bet that's a fun debate at the norton company. when they decide who to include with that, what do you think about the expans

ends connect with james baldwin because he cnects eloquentwith .reat writers do. and whenever he talks about in that great essay, she has a stranger in the village, he talks about being in and being the only person of color in this little village. you know, on one l, it's a commonplace sign of race. on another level, it's a contemplation of the degree to which all of us, whatever our at some point, we're outsiders. and he connects with that experience. so powerful and with such poetic sentences that he's just a writer, that everybody should read. danny heitman the norton anthology has been expanded over the years to include newer writers. i bet that's a fun debate at the norton company. when they decide who to include with that, what do you think about the expansions? well, that's all to the good. i mean, cannon's literary cannons are reconsidered with every and i just think it's a great that that that's done. i you know, again, thinks greate writers because perhaps they come from under represented communities. i also think it's important for peopl

james baldwin is one of my heroes. with the 60th anniversary of the civil rights act, too many times people do not realize all the time in america, african americans have had to struggle. we all know about blackwell street, -- black wall street, but that was an anomaly. african-americans were driving all over america until they were brushed aside, and i wish you would name a couple more of the african-americans who were driving and they were cut off at the knee because of racism. guest: absolutely. thank you for the call. when you think about the civil rights act, this is a culmination of a long history of struggle. you alluded to tulsa in 1921 and the black wall street, but certainly there is st. louis, chicago, atlanta, arkansas, rosewood, florida, there are really going to be hundreds, really thousands of small, large and medium-sized cities going back to hamburg, north carolina, and mississippi, and new orleans , and tennessee, where there are these racial programs that are anti-black but also destroy areas and fre

as a writer and civil-rights activist james baldwin said, all that can save you now is your confrontationith your own history. confronting that history means reckoning with this countries ugly history of slavery and the deadly civil war that was fought in an attempt to maintain the brutal social order. it means facing the fact that people who settled this country massacred an unknown number of people who are native to this land. but when baldwin spoke about the history, he wasn't asking us to be scholars of america's past. he was asking white americans in particular to reckon with how this country succeeded at the expense of some of its group's. quote, one can't afford to care what happened in the past, but your history has led you to this moment. and you can only begin to change yourself and save yourself by looking at what you are doing in the name of your history. end quote. if you believe, as i do, that trump's return to the white house will likely be more extreme than his first administration, there will be rough times ahead that are going to test our collective faith in democracy an

>>> everybody's journey is individual, wrote author james baldwin. irth, kelefa sanneh finds more and more attention is being paid to his singular journey. >> it is now with great pleasure -- >> reporter: in 1965, in the packed cambridge union society in london -- >> i find myself not for the first time the position of a kind of jeremiah. >> reporter: james baldwin, a voice of the civil rights movement, debated the commentator william buckley who was skeptical of the cause. the topic? that, quote, the american dream has been achieved at the expense of the american negro. >> it comes as a great shock around the age of 5 or 6 or 7 to discover the flag which you are pledged allegiance along with everybody else has not pledged allegiance to you. >> reporter: baldwin won in a landslide. 554 votes to 164. >> he didn't go to college. he ain't educated. he is po, you know, grew up in a place that isn't supposed to hold fire with buckley, with anyone. >> reporter: kevin young is the director of the national museum of african american history and culture in was

baker and others found their work boycotted for touching on the madam chair, experience and like james baldwin win and richard writing taught the racism often found themselves forced into excelsiors and what james baldwin called the fire next time resonated today as ever and the same poisons like w b and others august wilson and so many others used the art to advance justice and change hearts and mind their perspective was a threat for the profound impact had we celebrates the contributions of african-americans that made the music and film and dance we must do so with the knowledge this requires perseverance and we as we carry this artist forward we must continue to foster the truth telling and celebrate and cultivate a new adjudications of black artists our stories are critical to moving america forward today. (clapping.) we currently live in dark and troubled time in a country that wants to deny owe our inexperience and actions like black americans are a culture of taxers when nothing could be further from the truth we have consistently given to this country in time of war or fighting for th

richard wright and gwendolyn brooks, james baldwin, as well as writers who aren't really known, suchcent carter, with this sort of sense of thoughtfulness about the impact of their work within this cold war binary. ralph ellison is not featured in the book, but he does. the specter of it kind of factors pretty heavily in the sort of idea of being underground for having not been seen and how that haunts. the book by the authors own admission, like the reason why these writers are their motivation for the book is this idea of not being seen by the society at large, and this is what's caused them to seek out these individual autonomous mode within the cold war framework. and that is jesse mccarthy's upcoming book, the blue period. black writing in the early cold war. why blue period? it's a reference to miles davis specifically to the sort of fifties work that's leading into kind of blue in this idea that you thin's one thing with miles davis where the brevity of his music is a theoretical music theoretical framework. what a reality, what he's doing is sort of allowing. his like scales

when i read james baldwin glory adam, i have to turn off all exterior and i have to really concentrate. oh, yes. yes. and baldwin is also a master at the sentence does that go on and on? and that the the metaphors and that just like creating this very in-depth picture of the world that's required for you to be still with it and. that's what i enjoy most that that stillness is required and the rereading you have to go back at times you don't fully understand it in one go. you have to go back and again and to be in conversation that the conversations you will have with others when you're discussing baldwin are unlike any other. but the conversations i had on howard's campus about the baldwin really informed by your own politics in how i want to show and help others and be generous with my intellectual ability. gloria edelman, gather me. you mentioned a book that i had not heard of by mildred taylor roll of thunder hear my cry. what is that? oh. oh, my goodness. so when encounter that book as a young girl again, i really with her survival. i never again my my parents are nigerian. i i'm g

it is raw and very vulnerable. >> when i read james baldwin, i have to turn off all exterior noises and i have two really concentrate. >> oh, yes. and baldwin is also a master at the sentences that go on and on and the metaphors and just crating this very in-depth picture of the world. it is required for you to be still with it. that's what i enjoyed most, that stillness that is required and the rereading. you have to go back at times. you don't fully understand it in one go. you have to go back again and again, and to be in conversation, the conversations you will have with others when you are discussing baldwin are unlike any other the conversations i had on howard's campus about baldwin really informed my own politics and how i want to show up and help others and be generous with my intellectual ability. >> glory, you mentioned a book that i had not heard of by mildred taylor, roll of thunder hear my cry. what is that? >> oh my goodness. when i encountered that book as a young girl, again i really resonated with her survival. i had never -- pick my parents are nigerian. i am going up

richard wright and gwendolyn brooks, james baldwin, as well as writers who aren't really known, such as vincent carter, with this sort of sense of thoughtfulness about the impact of their work within this cold war binary. ralph ellison is not featured in the book, but he does. the specter of it kind of factors pretty heavily in the sort of idea of being underground for having not been seen and how that haunts. the book by the authors own admission, like the reason why these writers are their motivation for the book is this idea of not being seen by the society at large, and this is what's caused them to seek out these individual autonomous mode within the cold war framework. and that is jesse mccarthy's upcoming book, the blue period. black writing in the early cold war. why do you think he calls it the blue period? it's a reference to miles davis specifically to the sort of fifties work that's leading into kind of blue in this idea that you think it's one thing with miles davis where the brevity of his music is a theoretical music theoretical framework. what a reality, what he's doi