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James Baldwin



James Baldwin (1924–1987) was an American novelist, essayist, poet, playwright, social critic, and activist. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s greatest thinkers and authors; his work often focused on the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement.

James Baldwin
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I Am Not Your Negro | James Baldwin on the Dick Cavett Show | Netflix

A segment from James Baldwin's brilliant response to a philosophy professor on a 1968 episode of The Dick Cavett Show from Raoul Peck's must-see documentary I Am Not Your Negro.

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James Baldwin Insisted We Tell the Truth About This Country. The Truth Is, We’ve Been Here Before

In each generation we have to experience the haunting ritual of a Black family grieving in public over the loss of a loved one at the hands of the police.

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I Heard It Through the Grapevine

James Baldwin retraces his time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting with his trademark brilliance and insight on the passage of more than two decades.

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FindCenter Quotes ImagePeople who believe that they are strong-willed and the masters of their destiny can only continue to believe this by becoming specialists in self-deception.

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30:12

Civil Rights 1963 - James Baldwin and Marlon Brando

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The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race

Envisioned as a response to The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin’s groundbreaking 1963 essay collection, these contemporary writers reflect on the past, present, and future of race in America.

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The History that James Baldwin Wanted America to See

As both James Baldwin and Martin Luther King, Jr., insisted, America is an identity that white people will protect at any cost, and the country’s history—its founding documents, its national heroes—is the supporting argument that underpins that identity.

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FindCenter Quotes ImageNothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.

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Jimmy’s Blues and Other Poems

All of the published poetry of James Baldwin, including six significant poems previously only available in a limited edition During his lifetime (1924–1987), James Baldwin authored seven novels, as well as several plays and essay collections, which were published to widespread praise.

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I Am Not Your Negro

In his final years, Baldwin envisioned a book about his three assassinated friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King.

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Martin Luther King Jr.