EDITORIAL: Belles lettres of James Baldwin
Between the Olympics, where Team USA has a commanding lead in the medal count, and a presidential race that arrived at an arousing pinnacle Tuesday evening in Philadelphia when Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, it’s easy to see how, for Black Americans, the centennial birthdate of James Baldwin would be off the radar. And even without these tumultuous events, there’s a good chance Baldwin would not get the notice he deserves.
Fortunately, particularly here in Harlem where the great writer was born and spent, alternately, the 63 years of his life, celebrations abounded, whether in small gatherings at his burial site in Hartsdale, where he rests in peace with his mother Berdis, or at a Lincoln Center celebration last week. And more is expected from France and Turkey where he often lived and regaled audiences with his presence, and from coast to coast across the U.S., including a huge assembly of scholars and activists at Virginia State University in October.
Baldwin was already an international author and personality in the early 1950s when his novel “Go Tell It On the Mountain” received resounding praise. After his return to the U.S., his renown expanded beyond literary circles when he threw himself wholeheartedly into the Civil Rights Movement, working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers.
When asked about his dreams, desires, and how he wanted to be remembered, he always said, “I just want to be a witness and a good writer.” Well, he excelled in both these endeavors, and most rewardingly, he found a way to weave those aspirations into his prose, lectures, debates, and interviews.
Space here doesn’t allow a full and thorough exposition of his contributions to literature and socioeconomic issues; for that, we insist you take a little time and survey his impressive oeuvre. It’s there where even between the lines, you will find the essence of a man who knew how to speak truth to power without losing a word of his profound eloquence.
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