Sometimes the act of denial is the thing that condemns you. It simply gives away too much, suggesting that it was intended more to convince the one issuing it than the one to whom it was offered. And so, when addicts insist to their interventionists that they haven’t a drug or alcohol problem, we generally […]
Starting off the new year with a reminder from the incomparable James Baldwin that we haven’t the time for despair. There is too much work to be done…May 2015 bring justice to those denied it for so long.
A great and brief clip of Baldwin on Dick Cavett, explaining racism to folks who clearly don’t get it. Here, Baldwin explains the irrelevance of whether or not whites are prejudiced against blacks, noting that the real issue is how white institutions treat folks of color, regardless of intent, bigotry or hatred. A lesson worth […]
A fascinating interview with James Baldwin, fifty years ago, discussing race in America. As with all Baldwin interviews, this one too is amazing for how much of his analysis about the nation’s predicament — and the system of white supremacy — remains pertinent today, despite the end of formal and legal segregation. And the white […]
Having spent the better part of the past few days reading the newly released collection of James Baldwin’s previously uncollected essays, I was moved to seek out what little video exists on the web that can attest to his brilliance, both as a writer/artist, and commentator on race. Sadly, there is not much. The documentary […]
It is not often that one gets to read the words of a literary genius, fresh, long after his death. But this is one of those times when the uncommon becomes at least, possible. It is with this in mind, that I recommend to you the uncollected essays and all-around linguistic genius of James Baldwin […]
The message began ominously enough, with words no one really likes to hear directed their way. “With all due respect,” it read. As a writer I am painfully aware of the imprecision of language. Meaning is not always perfectly–and often not at all–communicated by the words we choose to represent our thoughts. But if there’s […]
For most white folks, indignation fits about as well as a cardigan sweater accidentally placed in the washer then dried on high heat. Sadly, having long remained silent in the face of (and having even supported) so much injustice over the years in this country — including the genocidal extermination of indigenous persons, the enslavement […]
“The price the white American paid for his ticket was to become white…This incredibly limited, not to say dimwitted ambition has choked many a human being to death here: and this, I contend, is because the white American has never accepted the real reasons for his journey. I know very well that my ancestors had […]
“What about Oprah?” So came the question from the middle of the crowded lecture hall, spat out from a contorted face whose owner had just sat through an hour-long talk, the substance of which I can only imagine he had found excruciating. Needing a bit more information before I could confidently respond, I replied the […]
