ABC Tried to Bury This James Baldwin Interview. Four Decades Later, It's Blisteringly Relevant.

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  • Опубліковано 14 чер 2021
  • Buried by ABC at the time, the segment has resurfaced over four decades later, revealing a unique glimpse into Baldwin’s private life-as well as his resounding criticism about white fragility, as blisteringly relevant today as it was in 1979.
    Video Credit:
    Sylvia Chase: Writer, interviewer, Narrator
    Joseph Lovett: Producer, Director
    Richard O’Regan: Associate Producer
    Robert Leacock, Jr.: Cinematographer
    Michael Lonsdale: Sound
    Editor: Dina Boogaard
    Supervising Producer: Karen Lerner
    (acloserlook.org)
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 7 тис.

  • @siennarevere1631
    @siennarevere1631 2 роки тому +4821

    “It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I’d been taught about myself, and half-believed, before I was able to walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here.” REST IN POWER MR BALDWIN

    • @wakeuppaid
      @wakeuppaid 2 роки тому +55

      Great quote

    • @randomobserver8168
      @randomobserver8168 2 роки тому +24

      Hi! You're the second person/entity I've seen use the phrase "rest in power" recently, after a series of posters in my city. Is it a new coinage?

    • @michaelfrazia4569
      @michaelfrazia4569 2 роки тому +40

      funny we are different colors , but I feel the exact same

    • @chrismc.4437
      @chrismc.4437 2 роки тому +23

      Sienna those feelings of inadequacy burden ALL people. To a greater degree than some but most can relate to that sentiment.

    • @gsauto8588
      @gsauto8588 2 роки тому +59

      it took years for me to know that we are just people. since 8 years old as an american who's only friends were black americans, I knew almost certainly that people who are vunerable are going to be targeted by the masses even thier own, and will be loked down upon.
      people even still think I cannot compete with a real white man at the job, or are astonished at my english and ability to blend in, but not black people. even though the whole hood knows this albanian who grew up in foster care here since eight.
      i sat at the back of the classroom with the blacks and puerto ricans through school elementry through middle school, and then went to the most ghetto as said high school.
      still, I am no different as a person who is myself as I am then if my country did not exile and murder us.
      you are not a failure. only your actions can fail. you are a child to God no matter your religion or race or tribe. I am a christian because of all those good people who were looked at by whites as less of a person because of the love they have for people in general. One thing I know is humans in struggle and desperation will stick together to survive. humans are just humans and no one has a better soul than you. you are complete. money and property cant go with you to the next life and your words of love and respect to others will feed the youth.

  • @surprisemokoele9757
    @surprisemokoele9757 3 роки тому +4083

    "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced"
    - James Baldwin

    • @royjackson8523
      @royjackson8523 3 роки тому +41

      That's, an AWESOME statement, there. FACTS!!💯

    • @dennispearson9287
      @dennispearson9287 3 роки тому +50

      The ELOQUENCE of This Man , Never Fails To BLOW MY MIND !!!......

    • @docequis9796
      @docequis9796 3 роки тому +20

      here is the truth... Individuals can act racist but politically the only tolerated systemic racism is by the Democratic party.... A) against asians and whites as 1) quotas 2) affirmative action and 3) identity politics and B) against blacks and hispanics as 1) welfare dependency, 2) limited public school choices (vouchers, charter schools and school choice) and improper public school management by teacher unions, 3) Democrat party founded police unions deals with their Democrat mayors and Democrat city officials to cover up or under and overcharge officers (murder 1 charge instead of manslaughter to get officers off) by the Democrat district attorney to avoid their convictions, 4) selectively targeting minorities for abortions and 5) controlling the system to fostering single mother child rearing.... all with the narrative that the Democratic party cares about people of color, children and women.

    • @danusa6869
      @danusa6869 3 роки тому +14

      You can't make change without any cents:)

    • @s_h_a_w_n_d_a8903
      @s_h_a_w_n_d_a8903 3 роки тому +18

      @@dennispearson9287 Yes I love to hear him talk. So eloquent and philosophical.

  • @StevenScarborough
    @StevenScarborough 9 місяців тому +823

    "If you trying to avoid reality how can you face it". Timeless words that still ring true today.

    • @mrluvit8232
      @mrluvit8232 9 місяців тому +8

      real talk 💯

    • @nca4794
      @nca4794 8 місяців тому +18

      And that's why they fight the truth. In hopes there will never be accountability.

    • @DJsDomain_
      @DJsDomain_ 7 місяців тому +8

      Yes brother. Life immediately improved as soon as I shook myself from my fog and denial and simply accepted the reality of the situation.

    • @samuelprett
      @samuelprett 5 місяців тому

      Don't wanna say this but the pink people are in big big trouble in future. God will judge rightly and the pink people will realize that God is not like them lmaoooo

    • @Temptedtotry97
      @Temptedtotry97 Місяць тому

      What’s Reality?

  • @scottbowser702
    @scottbowser702 9 місяців тому +772

    I love his mother’s statement of “I didn’t know [he would be so successful], but I knew he had to write”. If all parents could be this supportive of their kids growing up we would probably see a lot less strife on this planet.

    • @DETRACT0RD00M
      @DETRACT0RD00M 9 місяців тому +8

      Most successful people do have parents like that.. some are a little more enthusiastic, like Joe Jackson.. but what you can't say is that he failed in creating extremely talented musicians

    • @tonsarmedia9329
      @tonsarmedia9329 9 місяців тому +3

      Comment of the century.

    • @Nikkimommyof4
      @Nikkimommyof4 9 місяців тому +9

      I'd like to believe that most parents do think this way. They want their children to seek out something they are passionate about and if it can't pay their bills they find a side hustle that helps to do that while pursuing that passion. It's what I've encouraged my kids to do.

    • @beverleyreid7572
      @beverleyreid7572 9 місяців тому +2

      Exactly.

    • @veronicalanaux8514
      @veronicalanaux8514 8 місяців тому +2

      How to be successful as a human being, that doesn't involve paper and things you rarely hear

  • @vincentbatten4686
    @vincentbatten4686 9 місяців тому +1009

    Baldwin is someone who should be taught in schools. Such an unwavering voice in the face of all those that wanted to silence him. Probably one of the most inspirational writers to ever walk the earth.

    • @eredmond5345
      @eredmond5345 9 місяців тому

      Tell DeSantis that. .Florida seems to think that talking about slavery will make white children ashamed. Instead of using men like Baldwin to explain how this experience effects is, they would rather ignore that it ever happened. The whole world sees how we treat black folks, and we will never be the super power we claim until we address it.

    • @johntechwriter
      @johntechwriter 9 місяців тому +45

      Let’s see if De Santis makes him required reading in Florida. More likely he doesn’t even know who Baldwin is. If he found out, De Santis would ban Baldwin’s books from every school and library in the state.

    • @maggotbrain7499
      @maggotbrain7499 9 місяців тому +6

      You better hurry up

    • @kaisanhworrell9386
      @kaisanhworrell9386 9 місяців тому

      ​@@johntechwriterFACTz!!

    • @zimnizzle
      @zimnizzle 9 місяців тому +22

      I’m in a school district in CALIFORNIA and we cannot teach Baldwin or any other Harlem Renaissance author if any of the works contain the “n” work - and as most of their works do - because it’s in their personal experience to have experienced racism, and therefore their works are banned.

  • @brodellis
    @brodellis 3 роки тому +3853

    "I don't know you personally, but I know you historically", let that one marinate.

    • @ronselva9837
      @ronselva9837 3 роки тому +74

      Then he knows that, historically, her people ended slavery.

    • @bigmac4615
      @bigmac4615 3 роки тому +49

      @@ronselva9837 did you know that england paid off a loan to end slavery from 1860 something paid of 2014 or something 160 year loan can you believe that

    • @giovanniford123
      @giovanniford123 3 роки тому +141

      @@ronselva9837 13th amendment says differently

    • @upthedown1
      @upthedown1 3 роки тому +59

      Baldwin makes this broad statement about Whites. Interestingly enough that could be said about blacks in America.

    • @ronselva9837
      @ronselva9837 3 роки тому +25

      @@giovanniford123 Ehhh.... no. The 13th amendment abolished slavery and was passed by the American people by their democratically elected representatives. How is it that you think the 13th is in conflict with what I said??

  • @kittykatt1120
    @kittykatt1120 Рік тому +92

    Growing up, my father gave me a required reading list every summer. Baldwin was one of the people on the list.

  • @maiedova
    @maiedova 9 місяців тому +233

    I learned about James Baldwin in high school in New Jersey when I did a book report on his novel Go Tell it on the Mountain for my sophmore year English class. It was one of the books that a great influence in my life. My English teacher was both surprised and impressed at my book selection. An old man now, I live in Florida and I'm filled with sadness that there are high school kids that probably wont get to read this mans work.

    • @aarondigby5054
      @aarondigby5054 9 місяців тому +2

      I had a copy of "the Anen Corner"

    • @pbc76
      @pbc76 9 місяців тому +10

      Especially in Florida, my brother. Whew!

    • @AFO_AnalyRics
      @AFO_AnalyRics 9 місяців тому +3

      I read 'If Beale Street Could Talk'.

    • @lordsxman
      @lordsxman 9 місяців тому +10

      Florida's High School children will NEVER read James Baldwin now.

    • @hannaheye
      @hannaheye 9 місяців тому +3

      @@lordsxman What was banned in Florida besides sexual books for elementary kids?

  • @jazzminegoddess7968
    @jazzminegoddess7968 3 роки тому +3003

    The man was charming and sophisticated as hell, but never had a problem articulating his abhorrence for Racism and he was brutally honest to anyone who asked. Nothing but admiration for his contribution to the black diaspora.

    • @zigzagzig7330
      @zigzagzig7330 3 роки тому +93

      Facts! He also knew that was a Blackman first and not on some LGBT he didn’t need to bring that up during a conversation.

    • @MrOGDomino
      @MrOGDomino 3 роки тому +8

      Yess.. 👑💯

    • @trulifrea8073
      @trulifrea8073 3 роки тому +33

      The back of the plane, the class seating economy section, exists today. Racism is part of classism.
      The powers that be are scared of the poor and workung poor,the majority, uniting.
      It will be the poor black children and the poor white children and holding hands first, teaching the world how to live the beautiful dream.
      Paper pyramids can't purchase the dream. Pyramid pushers loathe the dream.
      People putting away their pride and pulling up sleeves to help each other, I'm so proud that this man spoke truly here without hate and venom. God bless him.

    • @DIPPLEDORP
      @DIPPLEDORP 3 роки тому +37

      The difference today is that people abhor racism by being racist.

    • @upthedown1
      @upthedown1 3 роки тому +16

      @@trulifrea8073 They are still feeding you that nonsense and you are still believing it. It's all bull and also an excuse for why there is no moving forward still stuck in the past.

  • @WSUGLUE
    @WSUGLUE 2 роки тому +918

    “Nobody wants a writer until he’s dead.” James Baldwin was a name I remember hearing in school, but this is the first time I hear him speak. I’m grateful for coming across this video. What a loss it would have been to not have picked up his words.

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 2 роки тому +1

      Do you think so? Go pick up a book of his and see how far you get before you toss it.

    • @zeloniaford
      @zeloniaford Рік тому

      @@MrBlackbolt1 ua-cam.com/video/uDzgQR1WTIQ/v-deo.html

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 Рік тому +2

      @Zelonia Ford nice kid, a bit misdirected. Somebody forgot to tell him it that the foundation of slavery in the Americas rested on 'black' people capturing and selling other 'black' people into slavery. In addition, he isn't to keen when it comecto geography. The 'black' slaves transported to the Americas were from West Africa. Thousands of miles from Egypt or Israel. A totally different people with a different culture. It's like applying judaism to the Australian Aborigines. It is absurdly out of context.

    • @manman478
      @manman478 Рік тому +41

      @@MrBlackbolt1 Calling James Baldwin "kid"... please. He's talking about the climate in this country, who sold the slaves has nothing to do with the lasting racial effects slavery has had within the country.

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 Рік тому

      @Zach Martell 'Black' people are the crux and foundation of the SELLING of slaves into SLAVERY in the Americas. There are no slaves or slavery in the Americas without that. WE, if 'we' are to keep referring to 'blacks' as a collective, DID IT. Now, YOU and all of you collective 'blacks' want to run away from that hideousness ugly and place all the blame on white people. There was slavery in Africa centuries before slavery in the Americas. Thats why the Europeans went to Africa to get slaves. Guess what... there is still slavery in Africa today. Black Muslim tribes still invade, enslave other blacks today. Remember Boko Haram. You've been tricked into becoming a racist. Hating based upon race when NO 'race' is clean.

  • @user-jc7kz2lk9k
    @user-jc7kz2lk9k 9 місяців тому +19

    The reason people don't teach and promote Baldwin's work is because he was a outspoken critic of capitalism, a fact that is too inconvenient for neoliberals.

    • @TedATL1
      @TedATL1 Місяць тому +1

      Bully for him. How did Communism turn out?

    • @noathy9408
      @noathy9408 17 днів тому

      ⁠@@TedATL1Capitalism isn’t proving any better with unaffordable housing and the ever-growing monopolies. You can criticize another economic system but not while dodging acknowledgment of the problems with our current system and also acting like communism is our only other option? Greed is fueled by people like you who ignorantly allow it.

    • @TedATL1
      @TedATL1 17 днів тому

      @@noathy9408
      Silliness. More people came out of poverty after the collapse of Communism than in the entire history of humanity. Because the former Communist countries adopted market economies to one degree or another, and they grew exponentially. In 1950 South Korea was the same economic size as Egypt, as well as North Korea. Compare them today. Monopolies are caused by government privileges to certain companies restricting competition.
      You think you will eliminate greed? How about the other 7 Deadly Sins? Communists and socialists are just as greedy as anybody.
      And they are MORE hypocritical.

  • @PeterJames143
    @PeterJames143 9 місяців тому +164

    Honestly I think he's our best intellectual. He is our relative, and he said things that needed to be said, and that are vitally true. Also he came to terms with some things I've heard no one else explicitly describe, like the embattled point of view where self-hatred becomes a more likely than not point of view and it is necessary to consciously come up with a way forward or be immersed in that undefined hatred. If you are a religious person his sexuality becomes a thorn in your side. But he is a known quantity, he is not hiding anything. There is a lot of honor in that. Honestly he is a great man.

    • @charliekenwright6324
      @charliekenwright6324 5 місяців тому +1

      Try Thomas sowell,now that’s really true educated fella

    • @modoc97405
      @modoc97405 5 місяців тому +10

      I completely agree. Baldwin was one of the greatest intellectuals the U.S. has ever produced

    • @modoc97405
      @modoc97405 5 місяців тому

      @@charliekenwright6324 Thomas Sowell is a hack. He's an economist who feels that anyone should listen to his views on social issues.

    • @sandorski56
      @sandorski56 4 місяці тому

      lol, no.@@charliekenwright6324

    • @hannahbrown2728
      @hannahbrown2728 4 місяці тому +6

      I think if a religious person has a problem with his sexuality they should re-read their book and maybe consider if thats a god worth worshipping

  • @leoneranger9348
    @leoneranger9348 3 роки тому +878

    My favourite part of this was finding out he bought a Manhattan apartment building for his whole family to live in together 👌🏾 I hope they still own it

    • @juanitaprice9764
      @juanitaprice9764 3 роки тому +39

      I to hope so

    • @JimiBegbaaji
      @JimiBegbaaji 3 роки тому +124

      Yes! And the fact that they supported him when he was on his journey, and he reciprocated.

    • @savagebull9183
      @savagebull9183 3 роки тому +73

      That's how you do it.

    • @youngiansorted1255
      @youngiansorted1255 3 роки тому +17

      @@JimiBegbaaji Have you read 'Go tell it on the mountain'? I'm not sure we can say he had his Fathers' support. But I do get what you are saying.

    • @royjackson8523
      @royjackson8523 3 роки тому +55

      I appreciated the fact that, his FAMILY, stuck by him, knowing of his lifestyle. DURING, that time period. THAT, was awesome!!💪🏽❤💯

  • @lawrencebolt3540
    @lawrencebolt3540 2 роки тому +1127

    It's a crime that this man isn't taught in schools. I discovered James by the time I was 30. An absolute crime.
    The opening monologue in The Fire Next Time, made me tear in a way I've never teared before.

    • @mrskr8up834
      @mrskr8up834 2 роки тому +41

      Same... I was 33 when I heard of THIS James Baldwin. Went to school with a brotha named James Baldwin Jr. Dad was Sr. I was shocked hearing and not knowing about this historical legend.

    • @Chauna30
      @Chauna30 2 роки тому +38

      Me too! I felt so cheated. Strangely enough I found him just before the pandemic started and immediately emerged myself in his writings...then George Floyd was murdered. I was fortunately prepared to beginning to understand. I completely agree with you in which I felt so cheated that I didn't learn about him long ago. I'm constantly amazed at the relevance of his thoughts still to this day. America has such a long way to go.😔

    • @user-cf9np9cy8q
      @user-cf9np9cy8q 2 роки тому +6

      No it’s not.

    • @Chauna30
      @Chauna30 2 роки тому +38

      @@user-cf9np9cy8q Ok. Ty for sharing. Your opinion on the subject is obviously unshared in this particular comment thread. Omg..I just hate the arrogance social media has given to some people🤦🏾🙄

    • @johnfulton4921
      @johnfulton4921 2 роки тому +17

      At one time his books were required reading in NYC when I went to school in the sixties Richard Wrights Native Son and Black Boy were also required reading later on the books of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison became suggested or required black reading

  • @one51media35
    @one51media35 9 місяців тому +84

    I love the works of James Baldwin. My brother lives in Florida and when he went to work on an assignment setting up an internet network for a school about last year he parked by the service entrance of a school. On the side of the school lot were some large totes filled with books. My brother curious looked in one of the totes and realized these books were books taken out of the school library. A few books were by James Baldwin. It occurred to him that these books were being banned. My brother grabbed as many books as he could mostly by James Baldwin and other authors of note and took them home where he proudly displays them and how he is grateful his kids have grown up and didn't have to witness the disgusting turn of events that have befallen Florida due to their idiotic politics.

    • @hannaheye
      @hannaheye 9 місяців тому

      Was it because the books have the "n" word in them? If so, I would think it would be the blue states taking them out of the curriculum?

    • @lunalea1250
      @lunalea1250 9 місяців тому +3

      Thank ur brother from me, I love his books, mind, personality & he knows/loves his people, very timely comment as this is National Banned Book Week, his mom reminds me of Mrs. Shirley Chisholm! 😇☮💜📚

    • @queenasantewaa4101
      @queenasantewaa4101 8 місяців тому +4

      I was in a bookstore here in the SW, and recently saw on the shelf, that a Maya Angelou book had been ban as well. Then the next DaY, while in the library, I overheard a whyte lady ask for it, and they said they didn’t have it. Just perhaps, she wanted to read it and see why it was banned…
      “I Don’t Know Why The Cage Birds Sing.”
      These controlling Yurugu’s! 👿👿👿 The jig is up!!! The LIGHT is now revealing all the darken spaces & places.

    • @veganwinter2090
      @veganwinter2090 6 місяців тому +3

      We had an excellent African-American literature studies at State University in Georgia and of course I feel enriched by the studies and now many years later I still long for my college textbook for that class taught by Professor Cyrus ,PhD (R.I.P.).

    • @pawelpap9
      @pawelpap9 Місяць тому

      You mean they removed from school library books that advocate homosexuality? The world must be ending! Poor kids do t know how to get a card in public library!

  • @judithparris1818
    @judithparris1818 Рік тому +85

    Mr. Baldwins eyes are so expressive and filled with sorrow. I've come to realize some people on this planet are so intelligent and altruistic that it exudes from every pore! And I'm not speaking of book knowledge either. Their thinking transcends their real time, place and environment they currently live in. You cannot hold them back or down. They hold you spellbound when they speak. They will be known throughout history. Mr. Baldwin is one of those people!

    • @beverleyreid7572
      @beverleyreid7572 9 місяців тому +5

      He will never be duplicated. So special.

  • @opytsoma424
    @opytsoma424 3 роки тому +1662

    "I needed to know where does black end and I begin?" I'm feeling that.

    • @EARART
      @EARART 3 роки тому +30

      Deep

    • @ewalker1057
      @ewalker1057 3 роки тому +21

      Doesn't. Part of who we are.

    • @wolfgangk1
      @wolfgangk1 3 роки тому +68

      You'll never know who you are as long as white American can keep you hyphenated American, the first BLACK Edison, the first BLACK Chopin, the first BLACK Einstein, the first BLACK WOMAN to head the world's largest corporation, when she is the first WOMAN.

    • @opytsoma424
      @opytsoma424 3 роки тому +15

      @Exceptional life before you go too far in the wrong direction, remember, it was Adam who said, "I was naked." Genesis 3:10. God would not call you naked. Let alone a color. So it's on me to figure that out.

    • @phyllisfoster6589
      @phyllisfoster6589 3 роки тому +4

      Me too!

  • @missq5200
    @missq5200 3 роки тому +1293

    "If you're avoiding reality how can you face it?" This sentiment right here applies to ALL areas of life, all our outlooks, every topic.

    • @DGardn100
      @DGardn100 3 роки тому +38

      It definitely applies to the critical race theory-denying white right who want American history to be a fairy tale that caters to their racial narcissism.

    • @lyndxnjoel6917
      @lyndxnjoel6917 2 роки тому +7

      To all of us across the world

    • @earthbarnes6694
      @earthbarnes6694 2 роки тому +14

      Exactly....And so many people live their e ntire lifetime Not facing reality

    • @Robbover
      @Robbover 2 роки тому +6

      Agreed 100%.... A lot of uneducated people in all races faces this issue. Sad really.. Knowledge is everything....

    • @geraldhoskins2021
      @geraldhoskins2021 2 роки тому +1

      Thats sounds like something yah would say.

  • @trinity3422
    @trinity3422 Рік тому +97

    James had a tremendous amount of strength and bravery to confront so many of his issues and society’s issues. Also to go through the process of differentiating which issues were his and which ones were societies. Carl Jung said if you don’t acknowledge and confront your shadow, your shadow will manifest itself in you.

    • @S.Pri8
      @S.Pri8 9 місяців тому

      Thank you for sharing🙏🏽

    • @helpIthinkmylegsaregone
      @helpIthinkmylegsaregone 3 місяці тому

      He was also pro diddling kids. But hey, he made some run-of-the-mill points about society with a poetic inflection, so I guess he's great.

  • @AC-os1he
    @AC-os1he 9 місяців тому +97

    Wow, how incredibly eloquent and humble. I could listen to this man for hours. You can look into this mans eyes and know he's not lying about his experience, expressive, painful, and sad. This type of man is what a leader looks like, something I have yet to see in my generation.

    • @davidwilliams5854
      @davidwilliams5854 3 місяці тому +1

      Be that leader

    • @ButterFlyGoddess
      @ButterFlyGoddess 2 місяці тому

      😔Sad But True😔This Generation Is Asleep Dreaming Of Material Things Biggest Bling😑I Miss Awake People✨🙏🏾✨💖🧚🏾✨💫

  • @MichelleS234
    @MichelleS234 3 роки тому +903

    James Baldwin said f, "America". He went to Paris, Nina Simone followed him. He was Maya Angelou's best friend. They lived in Ghana at one time. Lift the Ancestors up!🙏🙏

    • @KingofgraceSARA
      @KingofgraceSARA 3 роки тому +12

      Paris is so racist. The Netherlands is fantastic- racist I'm certain but my experience there was life changing. In think of going back, for good.
      Germany is a hole.

    • @captainhoopla7773
      @captainhoopla7773 3 роки тому +33

      @Dr Beyonder naw africans Americans built America white ppl just pointed at places and started moving in😂😂😂

    • @NubianQueenVibe
      @NubianQueenVibe 3 роки тому +4

      Factz i read about it in her autobiography

    • @ummukatheer247
      @ummukatheer247 3 роки тому +34

      @Dr Beyonder but we built something we can't even and/or haven't ever been able to live in peace inside of...

    • @simskiara
      @simskiara 3 роки тому +17

      @@KingofgraceSARA I’ve lived in the Netherlands since I was a little child. I’m curious to know why you find the Netherlands fantastic? Is it better than the US or do you feel more safe? Celebrated? My experiences as a black woman is quite different here, the racism has started from a young age and till today I’ve had to experience it. I was born on a island (just for reference).

  • @davis0730
    @davis0730 3 роки тому +1730

    Nobody wants a writer until their Dead. wow that is a quote

    • @upthedown1
      @upthedown1 3 роки тому +34

      Same thing is said especially about artist.

    • @carlburch4450
      @carlburch4450 3 роки тому +25

      Nobody wants pure genuine honest to God in your face truth from a true artist or writer who is extremely stong fierce and Brown. Not to mention oppressed- big elephant in the room that grows on and on to the point chaotic explosion ( the whole community).

    • @ramonpooser2434
      @ramonpooser2434 3 роки тому +15

      A writer or the truth.

    • @gigstheartist682
      @gigstheartist682 3 роки тому +14

      @@ramonpooser2434 A writer was meant to write the truth but many writers get corrupted or corrupt themselves with things of this world

    • @marslowell3992
      @marslowell3992 3 роки тому +2

      Agreed

  • @brennancarter7721
    @brennancarter7721 9 місяців тому +32

    Honestly, this brought tears to my eyes, what a truly beautiful soul he was. May he Rest In Peace. ❤

  • @MarieHolliday
    @MarieHolliday 9 місяців тому +24

    The way his family looks at him when he speaks they know it's words of wisdom

  • @OmegaSinister
    @OmegaSinister 2 роки тому +480

    One of the greatest intellectuals in history. It's a disservice to humanity that most people don't know about him and his work

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 2 роки тому

      A pederast who spouts nonsensical cliches of resentment is hardly an intellectual. If you think he is you are severly stunted in intellect

    • @arricammarques1955
      @arricammarques1955 Рік тому +6

      Blessed with intelligence & political insight. James was decades ahead of the times.

    • @polarbear1412
      @polarbear1412 Рік тому

      Tom Sowell , tells more truth than this Racist ever did !!!

    • @robertortiz-wilson1588
      @robertortiz-wilson1588 Рік тому

      He was a self-absorbed regressive that never got over himself.

    • @donaldbiden1920
      @donaldbiden1920 9 місяців тому +1

      @@imperialstrategies6065 Calm down and regroup buddy, youre headed for a cliff lol. Families in America are dead and don't support their kids while they get themselves established? Ever heard of college? That's one of the most basic common things families do, were you trying to be funny or make some other point that i missed?

  • @desmondwilliams4068
    @desmondwilliams4068 3 роки тому +398

    "America's sense of reality is dictated by what is it trying to avoid..." That is the definition of psychosis

    • @sherrilove5822
      @sherrilove5822 3 роки тому +10

      Psychiatrist, Dr. Aruna Khilanani, delivered a talk titled Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind at Yale School of Medicine. Check it out!

    • @TheSapphireLeo
      @TheSapphireLeo 3 роки тому +8

      Yet they'll "gatekeep" and/or "gaslight", by saying WE are in "psychosis".

    • @uhuhuuuhhh9883
      @uhuhuuuhhh9883 3 роки тому +1

      Americans are psychotic ? What kind of traitor are you ?

    • @onlythetruth883
      @onlythetruth883 3 роки тому +1

      @@sherrilove5822
      The hide is the invasion disguised as $/#¥€$.

    • @onlythetruth883
      @onlythetruth883 3 роки тому +3

      @@TheSapphireLeo
      All that you see happening now, has been the ultimate voodoic spiritual mission from 400 years ago

  • @miketalley5476
    @miketalley5476 9 місяців тому +9

    "Giovanni's Room" had a HUGE impact on me, when I read it as a very young man, almost half a century ago.! It's how I was introduced to Baldwin's work.

  • @rondamymusic8996
    @rondamymusic8996 Рік тому +14

    When I was in middle school (many years ago,) Reading Baldwin was a must. We read his books and other black authors. I'm so thankful and great full for those teachers.

  • @julesmclena9874
    @julesmclena9874 3 роки тому +1130

    "I dont know you personally but I know you historically....You can't swear to the freedoms of mankind and at the same time put us in chains" Well said Mr Baldwin

    • @freecitymoneyphoenixknowdg3252
      @freecitymoneyphoenixknowdg3252 2 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/6K6NqYwllt8/v-deo.html

    • @jaredoldhouser3301
      @jaredoldhouser3301 2 роки тому +10

      Arabs enslaved Africans thousands of years before whites, no one cares bout that though.......lmao

    • @freecitymoneyphoenixknowdg3252
      @freecitymoneyphoenixknowdg3252 2 роки тому +5

      @@jaredoldhouser3301 prove it

    • @thchc
      @thchc 2 роки тому +30

      @@jaredoldhouser3301 deflection

    • @v.c.webster9250
      @v.c.webster9250 2 роки тому +28

      @@jaredoldhouser3301 A false equivalence. So are you saying that what white america has done and is doing is for some reason morally justified? This, your comment, is exactly his point of not facing the issue.

  • @deniseroyal6393
    @deniseroyal6393 3 роки тому +771

    The intelligence and wisdom and bluntness of this man will always live on!

    • @loarnotoole36
      @loarnotoole36 3 роки тому +2

      ua-cam.com/video/6nuVhEdAgOY/v-deo.html

    • @jesuschrististhetruth2762
      @jesuschrististhetruth2762 3 роки тому +5

      Facts

    • @hattanalshutaifi4587
      @hattanalshutaifi4587 3 роки тому +17

      James baldwin is someone that Malcolm x would respected and appreciated even they don’t agree on but they do acknowledged each other point of view

    • @Sis4Real
      @Sis4Real 2 роки тому +12

      One of my favorite Elder scholar, writer & activist.

    • @praywithourfeet
      @praywithourfeet 2 роки тому +3

      Always!!!💥💥💥

  • @offintonebula
    @offintonebula Рік тому +9

    He was brilliant. I'm a 35 year old American and just learning about him.

  • @wry6read
    @wry6read 6 місяців тому +9

    It is good to see the love as he speaks with the kids - turning that boy's head toward him as Baldwin addresses him, as though to say "We can't talk unless we see each other." His honesty always hits home, makes each of us hope to be better, and feel the duress of bringing our conflicted nation to its senses.

  • @nwananka
    @nwananka 3 роки тому +628

    He pretty much told them what they did, been doing and will continue to do and they still went ahead to do it by locking the interview in a vault

    • @PiecesOfJenus
      @PiecesOfJenus 3 роки тому +21

      @Mee Acownt, EXACTLY!

    • @LOUDsigh
      @LOUDsigh 3 роки тому +12

      🤔just b/c title says locked away & we hadnt seen it doesnt mean it was rlly locked away. ijs

    • @lukasm8990
      @lukasm8990 3 роки тому +1

      is that why I've seen this year's ago?

    • @nwananka
      @nwananka 3 роки тому +1

      @@lukasm8990 from ABC?

    • @lukasm8990
      @lukasm8990 3 роки тому +1

      @@nwananka No it was online somewhere

  • @maplebrook1955
    @maplebrook1955 2 роки тому +784

    While he's speaking, his eyes seem to be instantly processing everything around him. It's as if he's seeing and understanding much more than he could ever talk about at that moment. When his mother said she knew he had to write, it's like she was talking about the inevitability that his reality had to be expressed. His energy was almost an irresistible force that couldn't possibly be contained.

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 2 роки тому

      He is DRUNK and searching to segue his victimology bs for fools like you

    • @sweetteaandspatzle7320
      @sweetteaandspatzle7320 2 роки тому +22

      Why do you write like you’re running out of time?
      This is an astute observation. I’ve noticed this and never had a way to put it into words. Thank you.

    • @jakerupert3603
      @jakerupert3603 Рік тому +13

      I love this comment. You capture it so beautifully.

    • @MindSurf248
      @MindSurf248 Рік тому +24

      I almost see the eye movement as more a scanning of his own mental map, trying to find the correct articulation to at once perfectly eloquent his thoughts, and keep up with them.

    • @Adrian_Estando
      @Adrian_Estando Рік тому +4

      Or he was high.

  • @hybridepigenes
    @hybridepigenes 9 місяців тому +28

    A giant of American literature and a wellspring of wisdom and reflection. We need and should heed his perspective now more than ever. I have so much respect for the man.

  • @annew8365
    @annew8365 Рік тому +53

    James Baldwin was an amazing man! “The Fire Next Time” is one of my favourite books. ❤ He used his anger to inspire and educate. He’s one of my heroes.

    • @joker6solitaire
      @joker6solitaire 9 місяців тому +4

      My high school English class taught "The Fire Next Time" twenty years ago, and I believe my niece will get to read it (at the same school) this year. I was telling her just a couple weeks ago what an amazing book it is.

  • @TheMmiguelito
    @TheMmiguelito 3 роки тому +1155

    "If you're trying to AVOID reality, how can you face it"
    "YOU CAN'T have it both ways: can't swear to freedoms for all man kind, and keep me in chains" "🎯🎯🎯

  • @jamescondley12
    @jamescondley12 3 роки тому +894

    Anytime I read Baldwin or hear him talk I’m left speechless. Hes absolutely brilliant.

    • @Cuban-Jo
      @Cuban-Jo 3 роки тому +20

      You should listen to Malcolm X. He and Baldwin were friends.

    • @satanlucifer1644
      @satanlucifer1644 3 роки тому +5

      @@Cuban-Jo All 300 MILLION INDIANS will RETURN from AFRICA and SOUTH America.

    • @messianic_scam
      @messianic_scam 3 роки тому +8

      @@satanlucifer1644
      what?

    • @satanlucifer1644
      @satanlucifer1644 3 роки тому +1

      @@messianic_scam 300 MILLION

    • @satanlucifer1644
      @satanlucifer1644 3 роки тому +1

      @@messianic_scam That are in the Amazon.
      LUCIFER walks

  • @UnlimitedMullets
    @UnlimitedMullets Рік тому +82

    If you are not angered for and beside the Black community, you don’t get it yet. I treasure these videos of James Baldwin. Thank you for sharing these.

    • @arthurallenbrown1305
      @arthurallenbrown1305 Рік тому

      A lot of black people are afraid of other black people

    • @AZ-kr6ff
      @AZ-kr6ff 9 місяців тому +4

      What is the "black community"?

    • @getfreemazes
      @getfreemazes 4 місяці тому

      mediocre poets who obsess about their reflections and the worlds jealousy of them makes me mad too

  • @AlexMarathas
    @AlexMarathas 9 місяців тому +8

    Wake the Children Sleeping….so refreshing to see such honesty and power in words and how he loved his life. Truly a human inspiration. Thank you James Baldwin for reaffirming my belief in humanity.

  • @dovetales3
    @dovetales3 3 роки тому +150

    Don't tell me what A Black Man can/can't do....HE BOUGHT THE BUILDING YALL! 😍😍😍 And put Mama & dem in it!

  • @twilitezn
    @twilitezn 3 роки тому +316

    "I have nothing against you, I don't even know you personally.....BUT I know YOU Historically...!"
    TRUTH.

    • @ifeomao5453
      @ifeomao5453 3 роки тому

      @@derek5499 no

    • @Moorsho
      @Moorsho 3 роки тому

      @@derek5499
      You should change your last name to Chauvin it fits like a Glove.

    • @derek5499
      @derek5499 3 роки тому

      @@ifeomao5453 yes

    • @derek5499
      @derek5499 3 роки тому

      @@Moorsho good one. Damn you're funny

    • @user-he8rl4sm3k
      @user-he8rl4sm3k 3 роки тому +5

      That doesn't even make sense, most white people aren't even descendant of colonizers. It's pseudo intellectualism

  • @EverAppl14
    @EverAppl14 9 місяців тому +17

    We did read a James Baldwin book in school here on the East Coast, United States when I was in grade school, but even though I assume that's more exposure to his work than kids get in most parts of the country, it was pitifully insufficient when you consider the magnitude of his wisdom and all of the sophisticated, evolved commentary he had to offer this world and young people, in particular. To learn to think the way Baldwin did at a young age would be an incredible gift to anyone. When he speaks, you cannot avoid listening, and having listened makes you better somehow. His exceptional intellect expands your own, just by exposure. I think kids should see things like this interview as part of a school curriculum instead of just reading Go Tell it on the Mountain without any visual or conversational insights into the cultural atmosphere in which he lived or getting to witness his incredible eloquence.

  • @garygreen2146
    @garygreen2146 6 місяців тому +3

    As a mixed race NZ Maori I read his work for the first time in the 1980's when I went to university , I did not know he was African American until 2 years ago such is the testimony of the man that to me , first and foremost he is an exceptionally talented author

  • @79noel
    @79noel 3 роки тому +312

    "I had no secrets, now you can't blackmail me! "

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 3 роки тому +16

      Best way to move :)

    • @anonymike8280
      @anonymike8280 3 роки тому +4

      @@turtleanton6539 The way I put, safer above ground than trying to stay under.

    • @chilezp
      @chilezp 3 роки тому +3

      Real

    • @allicianpeters3595
      @allicianpeters3595 2 роки тому +3

      YOU STILL HAVE SECRETS WHEN YOUR USING A LIE TO JUSTIFY YOUR POINTING A FINGER IN JUDGMENT!!!! ONE OF SATAN'S BIGGEST QUALITIES IS "ACCUSING THE BRETHREN NIGHT AND DAY"!!!! YOU ARE NOT BLACK... THAT IS A LIE FROM SATAN!!!! YOU ARE A LIGHT BEING OF ENERGY, MASKED AND HIDING FROM ALMIGHTY GOD!!!!! YOU WANT PEACE... LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND GET RIGHT WITH ALMIGHTY GOD!!!! THEN YOU'LL CLEARLY BE ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS!!! CLEARLY THIS MAN DID NOT HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT, FOR IT IS A SPIRIT OF ALL TRUTH!!!!!
      ALL FLESHLY BEASTS MUST CONSUME ENERGY TO SURVIVE... IF YOU ARE CONSUMING ENERGY FROM ANOTHER, THAT IS AN ACT OF MURDER AND WAR AGAINST ALMIGHTY GOD!!!!! THAT IS WHAT MAKES EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD EVER BORN GUILTY AND IN NEED OF SAVING!!!! SAVING FROM YOUR OWN SELF!!!!!

    • @famuyiwaolukayode8
      @famuyiwaolukayode8 2 роки тому

      ...I need a book on how to tighten a loose nut. Thanks.

  • @jamesanson2711
    @jamesanson2711 3 роки тому +271

    "If you are trying to avoid reality, how can you face it?" BRILLIANT!

    • @fondrees
      @fondrees 2 роки тому +1

      Stupid and obvious statement. And not even relevant. We have confronted it and relegated it to the reash heap of history where it belongs. Stop whining about slavery and oppression. Modern day myths used to explain the failure of black America to succeed on any level.

    • @m.patsyfauntleroy9645
      @m.patsyfauntleroy9645 2 роки тому +2

      MAYA ANGELOU
      AND
      JAMES BALDWIN
      2 for SPEAKING
      TRUTH
      ASSERTIVELY
      SO
      IMPRESSIVE
      AS
      REPRESENTATIVES
      from
      AMONG US
      ALSO
      EARTHA KITT
      AND
      NINA SIMONE
      NAMES TO
      OUR STORY
      LIKE
      JAMES BROWN
      AND
      " HOWL 'IN WOLF "
      ROBERT JOHNSON
      RAY CHARLES
      WONDERFULL
      BOOK OF
      THE NEGROE
      GEN . /\ . US
      MEMORIAL A
      LONG LIST
      PARADE OF STARS
      MA ' SHINE
      THE MIND
      JOSEPHINE BAKER
      ADAM CLAYTON
      POWELL
      MALIK EL HAJJ
      SHABAZZ
      & BETTY
      OSSIE DAVIS
      & RUBIE DEE
      MUHAMMED ALI
      LIFE PRAISE
      BILL & CAMILLE
      COSBY
      SUMMARY by
      NEGRA Maggie
      ADVOCATE for
      HUMUNITY
      N.I.S.A.I. by
      N.I.N.E. ; . . .3Sq
      PEACEMA ' NY !

    • @anthonyclifton1205
      @anthonyclifton1205 2 роки тому

      @@fondrees who is we have confronted these situations. Tell that to the families of young black men gunned down over a minor traffic violation. It's been written that 2/3rd's of heathens and gentiles won't make it into the kingdom for lack of knowledge and belief. Get off your knees, you seem to be in denial.I imagine you could still be invited to the neighborhood BBQ.

    • @gem832
      @gem832 2 роки тому +4

      @@fondrees your just proving his point, typical UA-cam comment 🤦🏿‍♀️

    • @robertdouglas8895
      @robertdouglas8895 2 роки тому

      He stated that he didn't have much choice. We are all masters of our fate. If we think this is not so, we are victims but have something to gain from it, or think we do.

  • @Tanya401life
    @Tanya401life Рік тому +5

    Thank you dearly for this! What a magnificent legend and human being.

  • @maxcornise7204
    @maxcornise7204 Рік тому +46

    He is a greater artist than people understand because of his profound spiritual awareness that gives him a clairvoyance about the true America, described meticulously and astonishingly original. No one else has ever expressed a deeper truth about white folks “pinned down like a butterfly”! Rest in peace, my teacher!

    • @getfreemazes
      @getfreemazes 4 місяці тому

      "i'm a victim" is pretty low on the enlightenment scale.

  • @stevenonkonyana880
    @stevenonkonyana880 2 роки тому +381

    "Somethings happened to me because I was human, and somethings happened because I was black". This hit different hearing it here, I think most people especially in today's era miss this part of things, being able to take a moment and reflect is important not just to be sure but to hold oneself to account and be responsible.

    • @anthonyj.4756
      @anthonyj.4756 2 роки тому +8

      It’s been said that wisdom is the result of experience and reflection.

    • @mattstevens7601
      @mattstevens7601 Рік тому +22

      You've misheard and misquoted him. He said "some things had happened to me because I was Jimmy.." not human.

    • @donaldbiden1920
      @donaldbiden1920 9 місяців тому +28

      I think you are misinterpreting what he was trying to say. He was commenting on the idea that after living in a country where blackness is a burden that is stigmatized and oppressed it was challenging to be able to see himself accurately as just Jimmy without the shame and self hatred he had been taught by american culture.

    • @ili626
      @ili626 9 місяців тому +6

      He needed his experience in Paris, to better understand himself as a human being, and not as a “Black man”

    • @hitthisloudgbeforeichangem5749
      @hitthisloudgbeforeichangem5749 8 місяців тому +6

      ​@@donaldbiden1920hit the nail right on the head. The do the same with MLK as well it's very weird

  • @nasashadavis1726
    @nasashadavis1726 3 роки тому +133

    “You didn’t tell me, I told you”
    And was never hiding💯

    • @nasashadavis1726
      @nasashadavis1726 3 роки тому +2

      For the trolls. Anything you can’t just come out and say you did or are doing.. you’re hiding. My comment don’t apply to you.

    • @tonynegron1927
      @tonynegron1927 3 роки тому

      😌 Amen!

    • @loarnotoole36
      @loarnotoole36 3 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/6nuVhEdAgOY/v-deo.html

  • @sparkle3000
    @sparkle3000 4 місяці тому +4

    There is always HOPE.
    No one can never, ever take that away from you. 💫

  • @comalaism
    @comalaism Рік тому +37

    James Baldwin will always be a national treasure! He is one of the most exquisite writers to have ever walked the planet! He is an inspiration to all of humanity!

  • @rickilocd.n8078
    @rickilocd.n8078 3 роки тому +245

    I love how when he was at his family’s house in Manhattan they were all quiet and listening NO DISRESPECT or anything, they all looked up to him and respected him and I shall go on a search for all his books. I will find them 🧡✨

    • @theydeceivetheirownpeople2230
      @theydeceivetheirownpeople2230 3 роки тому +2

      🙏🙏

    • @tomquinn607
      @tomquinn607 3 роки тому +3

      They always act that way when you're the one with the money.

    • @CeeCheles
      @CeeCheles 3 роки тому +3

      @@tomquinn607 Who's "they?!" Please don't tell me you're some white guy making a generalized comment

    • @lindaclaudine3029
      @lindaclaudine3029 2 роки тому +4

      @@tomquinn607 - Or, apparently, you act that way around your wealthy family & “friends.” That thought never crossed my mind. My family was not wealthy, & some downright poor. But we loved & respected them nonetheless. Contrary to your avaricious beliefs, many of us do not “love” or “respect” someone for their monetary status & what it may someday possibly bring us.

    • @elisemiller13
      @elisemiller13 2 роки тому +1

      @@tomquinn607 no they don't. "they" always act that way when "they" are raised to be respectful and have a sense of learning from elders and a sense of self respect

  • @sp4263
    @sp4263 3 роки тому +257

    So happy to see that he didn’t forget his family and their love, and returned that support when he gained success.

  • @AZK2GO
    @AZK2GO 9 місяців тому +19

    I’m glad he is still able to influence from beyond. This was my first exposure to this great man and I’m sure won’t be the last. Thank you for this educational video from many years ago.

    • @sandirichard5461
      @sandirichard5461 9 місяців тому

      Wow. Welcome. Do you know Nikki Giovanni?

    • @Stephoni234
      @Stephoni234 8 місяців тому +1

      Watch I am not your Negro!

    • @brendagarrigan2161
      @brendagarrigan2161 8 місяців тому +1

      Listen to his debate with William F Buckley at Yale 1965. He blew Buckley away!

  • @SofiUk0319
    @SofiUk0319 9 місяців тому +4

    " I dont know you personally, but i know you historically.. you cant have it both ways " the truth so poetically captured ❤

  • @vbell2536
    @vbell2536 3 роки тому +191

    "You begin to hate everybody, which means you hate yourself. And when that happens it's over for you."

    • @dre.supreme
      @dre.supreme 3 роки тому +7

      Deep.

    • @lorinapetranova2607
      @lorinapetranova2607 3 роки тому +7

      Yeah, this statement I need to hang on the wall or the fridge but I Need to see it regularly. Sure glad I watched this. Especially as an adult. Back then and as a teen Baldwin and frankly a lot of people were considered a bit radical just for being REAL. It might have caused a peculiar type of looking within but if one had that courage..a lot of eye opening for a caucasian teen.

    • @DavidSmith-xs3or
      @DavidSmith-xs3or 3 роки тому +4

      Every statement he made is quotable and should always be remembered, even as a post-it note you stick to a refrigerator or just write in big letters on paper you tape to a bedroom mirror or make it on a t- shirt. Powerful.

    • @carlamanns4905
      @carlamanns4905 3 роки тому +2

      @@DavidSmith-xs3or He was very prolific with his words and thoughts

    • @dirtsapient9638
      @dirtsapient9638 3 роки тому +2

      This mos def applies to life in 2021. A very wise observation. Problem is most of the people currently doing the hate, seem to think it is righteous hate, and justified, hate is encouraged as woke.

  • @tinajay5335
    @tinajay5335 3 роки тому +73

    Best JB quote is, 'I can't believe what you say because I can see what you do', might not be strictly correct but you get me x 🙏

  • @paulcanaday-elliott9834
    @paulcanaday-elliott9834 9 місяців тому +8

    This is an amazing interview. Thank you for finding and for sharing. And, yes, very immediately relevant to today.

  • @waynewells3297
    @waynewells3297 9 місяців тому +3

    This interview is priceless…..

  • @LULOHANFYAH
    @LULOHANFYAH 3 роки тому +512

    James Baldwin was a brilliant man! I wish more people would have listened to him.

    • @EllBeeCUSoon
      @EllBeeCUSoon 3 роки тому +13

      Agreed!!

    • @RadicalforGod
      @RadicalforGod 2 роки тому +12

      How when he was being censored by mainstream media? Forty years later most of us are just learning about him.

    • @Yellow-et1ig
      @Yellow-et1ig 2 роки тому +4

      INDEED 👀

    • @sidneyrobinson2362
      @sidneyrobinson2362 2 роки тому +4

      It's still not too late!

    • @LULOHANFYAH
      @LULOHANFYAH 2 роки тому

      @@sidneyrobinson2362 True!

  • @SKBoard-rj2zm
    @SKBoard-rj2zm 3 роки тому +492

    A black genius. A Fire Next Time should be mandatory reading in high schools.

    • @citizenx4750
      @citizenx4750 3 роки тому +11

      Yes, mandatory reading

    • @winthorpetrois
      @winthorpetrois 3 роки тому +18

      He's a genius. Why put a qualifier on it? That gives some people the chance to consider that a lower status, unfairly.

    • @SKBoard-rj2zm
      @SKBoard-rj2zm 3 роки тому +6

      @@winthorpetrois I'm lost on your comment. What do you mean by a "qualifier?"

    • @winthorpetrois
      @winthorpetrois 3 роки тому +13

      @@SKBoard-rj2zm The adjective "black." Some people, consciously racist or not, might take that as, "Yeah, but he's not as much of a genius as white geniuses like Fitzgerald, Dickinson, etc."

    • @winthorpetrois
      @winthorpetrois 3 роки тому +13

      @@SKBoard-rj2zm It's like if I say to a woman, "You're a beautiful Asian woman." She might take offense to that: "Why aren't I just a beautiful woman? I'm not as beautiful as black or white women?"

  • @anitamarshall9804
    @anitamarshall9804 3 місяці тому +2

    Eloquent and insightful man. RIP.

  • @perryperryprince3242
    @perryperryprince3242 Рік тому +2

    I fear Baldwin will be lost in history. his debate against Buckley is legendary he was a generational thinker in modern times.

  • @lahopkins9746
    @lahopkins9746 3 роки тому +238

    I'm not sure when people convinced themselves that things had/have changed but all you have to do is open your 👀...

    • @cantstop-wontstop2138
      @cantstop-wontstop2138 3 роки тому +2

      @LA Hopkins
      Black people being convinced that things have changed was the direct result of the creation of the Black middle class.

    • @ebb1432
      @ebb1432 3 роки тому +11

      Ain’t sht change bt the year

    • @derekscarrsr2688
      @derekscarrsr2688 3 роки тому +2

      They haven't They pretend.

    • @syber7824
      @syber7824 3 роки тому +2

      america is so oppressive that people are dying just to get into the country. like 10 unarmed black people get killed by police each year (probably same amount as white) but yous always act so extra like all whites are just killing every black person. tighten up man, shits embarrassing

    • @winniejohnson5559
      @winniejohnson5559 3 роки тому +4

      Well if you would have grew up when I did , you would see that things have changed. You can’t make people change what’s in the heart via laws or legislation. People have to want to change and grow.. hatred is everywhere,. Black people think that we are such victims. That continues the spread of hatred… hatred on both sides. Baldwin experienced blatant hatred and ignorance but most of not all of you UA-camRS haven’t experienced what this man has. Hatred instead of racism is what’s dividing and killing and it’s on both sides.race is an excuse to justify hate injustices and whatever else people can use it to do..

  • @mikewilcox8197
    @mikewilcox8197 3 роки тому +303

    “Americans sense of reality is dictated by what Americans are seeking to avoid” just as true today as it was then, and always has been.

    • @brendanmcgarry7238
      @brendanmcgarry7238 3 роки тому +7

      I don’t believe that @ all. Of all the nations of the world where slavery existed (i.e.: ALL the nations of the world) I can’t think of another that has dealt w/ their past history of slavery more completely than the US of A. Now....whether this was done voluntarily - or, more likely, bc of such strong & Articulate - & BRAVE - men like James Baldwin - who demanded we confront this history - it does not matter. It has been done - & it continues to be confronted. However, their has been a poisonous hypocrisy unleashed in this country that is clinging to a rewritten history and promoting an exaggerated sense of how we see each other today - &, sadly, it’s all perpetrated by the same devils who were originally the sole perpetrators of the original crime. (The Democratic Party - “Wolves in Sheep’s clothing!)
      Peace to all....

    • @lordXAVIJAANBJERGNOG
      @lordXAVIJAANBJERGNOG 3 роки тому +25

      @@brendanmcgarry7238 What's the rewritten history? I've seen texas rewriting their history text books to hide hard truths for years. Kansas too.

    • @brajeharris3091
      @brajeharris3091 3 роки тому +20

      Why do white Americans always try to deflect back to slavery and how everyone had slaves and how Africans sold their own people? What about all the horrendous acts laws and terrorism after slavery the treatment of the freed slaves the deliberate oppression what’s the excuse of the evilness that came after slavery? Were most white people Democrats cuz it seems like racist were the majority, i mean not saying there weren’t white people that didn’t like what was going on but it seems like a majority were cool with it.

    • @mikewilcox8197
      @mikewilcox8197 3 роки тому +17

      @@brajeharris3091 one word: guilt. They killed Malcolm ecause he was preparing to take them before the United Nations and then the world court and prove we weren’t the worlds savior from dictatorships and genocide, but just like everyone else.

    • @brajeharris3091
      @brajeharris3091 3 роки тому +8

      @@mikewilcox8197 I’ve been waiting for a person of no color to answer because they seem very passionate about the subject.

  • @RN-fx4kn
    @RN-fx4kn Рік тому +9

    Know matter how many interviews I watch of this great man, l always learn something new from each one.

  • @ryanbuhler2926
    @ryanbuhler2926 3 місяці тому +1

    Amazing! Next time I hear someone say America isn't racist I'm gonna channel my inner Baldwin and ask them "Would you want to be black or brown here?" I have a feeling it will make anyone asked that stutter.

  • @jujutu5084
    @jujutu5084 3 роки тому +58

    Nothing has changed, as Mr. Baldwin has spoken.

  • @maura9675
    @maura9675 3 роки тому +461

    This was deep, deep, deep. He is so gifted in using his words to communicate truth. He was a master at describing emotions and systems in such a concrete way, it literally lands in your soul, you open your eyes and there it is, immutable truth. On top of it he is so dignified and warm all at once; phenomenal.

    • @CeeCheles
      @CeeCheles 3 роки тому +5

      💖💖💖

    • @jeanlc
      @jeanlc 2 роки тому +12

      you've expressed this very beautifully.

    • @CALIISRUTHLESSPT1
      @CALIISRUTHLESSPT1 2 роки тому +8

      BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN🥰👏🏿💯

    • @stedye
      @stedye 2 роки тому +3

      In his youth he was a minister, thus having that ability to both articulate and write brilliantly.

    • @luannedimaggio7025
      @luannedimaggio7025 2 роки тому +3

      Yes, well spoken by Mr.Baldwin and you.

  • @tiggy500
    @tiggy500 Рік тому +7

    As someone pointed out. It’s criminal that such a great writer is not part of the education in the US.

  • @yojimbo3681
    @yojimbo3681 9 місяців тому +2

    1:54 "And you begin to hate everybody, which means you begin to hate yourself." Powerful.

  • @unc1589
    @unc1589 2 роки тому +45

    Baldwin is the greatest rediscovery in my adult life. He once said “I’m past the crime!”. That’s why he can freely articulate racism without the emotional baggage that seeks to avoid it.

  • @andrethompson3578
    @andrethompson3578 3 роки тому +502

    Baldwin: “I don’t have anything against you because I don’t know you personally but I do know you historically” To the people who say “I nor my family ever owned slaves” or “ I didn’t have anything to do with what happened hundreds of years ago” If you can, think about what J. Baldwin said to his interviewer in the presence of his family. POWERFUL!!!!!!

    • @katrinajames779
      @katrinajames779 3 роки тому +13

      Please share this on tik tok!

    • @mr2010GM
      @mr2010GM 3 роки тому +40

      Yes, I agree. The same behavior still exists in 2021 from are politicians, police and regular folks.

    • @samanthaburke6045
      @samanthaburke6045 3 роки тому +5

      There you go

    • @vprince9907
      @vprince9907 3 роки тому +7

      @Osh Kosh talk about it

    • @chaichai012
      @chaichai012 3 роки тому +80

      @Roger Washington your family came over and benefitted from a country that thrived because of slave labor. Obviously their situation here was much better than in Europe or else they would’ve stayed there, so nice try.

  • @0num4
    @0num4 5 місяців тому +2

    It's a damned shame I didn't learn of Mr. Baldwin or his writing until I was into my 30's. He should absolutely be covered in both US History and literature classes in every high school in the nation.

  • @marvincooke7784
    @marvincooke7784 8 місяців тому +2

    Black LGBTQ community, we need more of you to follow Baldwin's example.

  • @dennispearson9287
    @dennispearson9287 3 роки тому +119

    THE RELEVANCE OF BALDWINS STATEMENTS ALMOST 5O YEARS AGO IS MIND-BOGGLING !!!!....THEY COULD HAVE DONE THIS INTERVIEW YESTERDAY !!!.....TRUTH IS TRULY TIMELESS !!!....

  • @MsDeongi
    @MsDeongi 3 роки тому +215

    Lawd man.... Black folks pain is heartbreaking. Yet and still all we can beef about is MONEY, BONNETS, and SKIN TONES. If the rest can respect their ancestors struggles and keep certain movements alive WHY can't we?

    • @taylorshipp8460
      @taylorshipp8460 3 роки тому +13

      Speak the truth sister!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

    • @joejett5084
      @joejett5084 3 роки тому +23

      The pain causes bigger egos, trying to be strong not realizing that strength is vulnerability. Just try to do your part for a better world even if it’s something as simple as just smiling and saying hi to another person.
      We are who we are as adults, to improve the condition we have to teach the children better. Love conquers all, it is the most powerful. What we love will determine our condition. If we don’t love and guide the children righteously, they will become broken adults fighting over money, bonnets, and skin tones.

    • @lalat5899
      @lalat5899 3 роки тому +12

      All facts! We care about the dumbest sh&t and tell each other “this is why white ppl won’t accept/respect us and can’t get ahead” All laughs! It’s bigger than that always has been.

    • @malikaustin9087
      @malikaustin9087 3 роки тому +11

      Mental Bondage and the idolatry of green paper we are sick as a community and sista all u kan do is GET WELL and be an example of a higher frequency than weaves wigs and wardrobe while I reach higher than money hoes and klothes SALUTE🤞🏾❤🖤💚

    • @TheUrbanAlien247
      @TheUrbanAlien247 3 роки тому +12

      Divided in mindset instead of being collective with purpose.

  • @elizabethbrownjames4091
    @elizabethbrownjames4091 8 місяців тому +2

    He reminds me of my cousin the Distinguish Rex Nettleford who faught for the rights of the black people in Jamaica and established the prestigious National Dance Theatre of Jamaica. Rest well my beloved family, Jamaica has lost a rising Star🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

  • @beverleyreid7572
    @beverleyreid7572 9 місяців тому +2

    We all have a right to be on the planet. PERIOD!!!!

  • @ethanfleisher1910
    @ethanfleisher1910 3 роки тому +296

    Baldwin remains among the most fierce, unfiltered, truthful writers of American literature. Absolutely amazing artist. "There never was a chance." ....damn. Words can't express the painful wisdom

    • @sheercannon
      @sheercannon 3 роки тому +5

      Why do we have to classify things by race?

    • @ethanfleisher1910
      @ethanfleisher1910 3 роки тому +15

      @@kyieberry did I stutter? My dude is not among the best black American writers in history, he is among the best, period.

    • @carmenocasio1734
      @carmenocasio1734 3 роки тому +6

      @@ethanfleisher1910 he was while in college I was assigned to read books from his writtings and the college professors where from american literature and English class ...amazing books

    • @SuperGuanine
      @SuperGuanine 2 роки тому +1

      @@sheercannon WE are ignorant jerks. "Race" is irrelevant. People need to STOP talking about.

    • @voxomnes9537
      @voxomnes9537 2 роки тому +1

      @@SuperGuanine No.

  • @johnpowell5538
    @johnpowell5538 3 роки тому +54

    Was introduced to James Baldwin in college English class. Will never forget the line "To seek a minor sun." It was describing a bug seeking warmth under a street light as winter moved in. Brilliant.

    • @MrBlackbolt1
      @MrBlackbolt1 2 роки тому

      Brilliant... really? It's a BUG. They always go toward ANY light

  • @zhenjiu
    @zhenjiu 9 місяців тому +3

    Even decades after his demise, James Baldwin remains the moral conscience of America.

  • @cheshireket3132
    @cheshireket3132 7 місяців тому +8

    I need to keep trailblazing the path James began.
    I'm queer and brown/black.
    Unlearning the self hatred you are taught is a lifelong task.
    We as writers need to put into words the struggles of our generation. We need to bare witness.

  • @blkyogi999
    @blkyogi999 3 роки тому +209

    Wisdom speaks and carries over many generations…. A legend

    • @PiecesOfJenus
      @PiecesOfJenus 3 роки тому +4

      That'll preach!

    • @rickblackburn6168
      @rickblackburn6168 3 роки тому

      He "left the church" and became a homosexual. That's all you need to know.

    • @alliwishis2652
      @alliwishis2652 3 роки тому +5

      @@rickblackburn6168 or is that what you want to know

    • @mikea1879
      @mikea1879 3 роки тому +2

      @@rickblackburn6168 I hope you've never gotten a haircut, or worn clothing made from animals! Because then you'd be condemned to hell (where you judgmental folk truly belong)

    • @leerhode1021
      @leerhode1021 3 роки тому +1

      @@rickblackburn6168 Does that give you a supercilious sense of moral superiority? It almost seems that you gleaned a kind sexual gratification by articulating your comment. 😈 The subtext of your reply is quite telling.

  • @JamesFaction
    @JamesFaction 3 роки тому +289

    "it sounds like you think slavery put a curse on us"
    "Slavery IS a curse".

    • @fuckgoogle3516
      @fuckgoogle3516 3 роки тому +16

      God put that curse on them

    • @JamesFaction
      @JamesFaction 3 роки тому +10

      @drag0nfly_girl exactly 🙏 he had a knack for putting huge issues so succinctly. Huge admiration for James Baldwin.

    • @Dinojong
      @Dinojong 3 роки тому +8

      @@fuckgoogle3516 What absolute bullshit!!

    • @uhuhuuuhhh9883
      @uhuhuuuhhh9883 3 роки тому +7

      See Prof. Thomas Sowell on slavery .

    • @JamesFaction
      @JamesFaction 3 роки тому +21

      @Григорий Фэша Yes all races have been slaves, and the black market on slavery even now is an unseen scourge of humanity. But the people of Africa (and their descendents) have been enslaved in the last 500 years far more than any other. And legally, too.

  • @mawalir937
    @mawalir937 9 місяців тому +2

    I heard about this great man many years ago while I was still in Pakistan and bought his novel "go tell it on the mountain". A fantastic mind, highly, highly intelligent wish I had a chance to say hello to him.

  • @Super__Goliath
    @Super__Goliath Рік тому +4

    I am going to look for documentaries/biopics about this man. Because right now we need a voice like James Baldwin

  • @queen_of_domination
    @queen_of_domination 2 роки тому +528

    He reminded me of one of my cousins. We grew up together and we were very close. He was like my big brother. My cousin grew up to become a successful attorney. He grew disillusioned with practicing law and became a successful freelance legal analyst and journalist. He also started to teach law at several colleges.
    Like Baldwin, he struggled with sexual ambivalence. Although he was very private about his sexual ambivalence, he his feelings confided in me. My cousin was very critical of the Black church for the same reasons Mr. Baldwin was critical of it.
    When I listen to Mr. Baldwin, I think about my cousin, as he was thin just like Mr. Baldwin. He chainsmoked and even had the same mannerisms as well. My cousin was very tall and light-skinned though.
    Both Mr. Baldwin and my cousin were intelligent men. My cousin died of lymphoma right after he got his big break as a professional analyst. He would have been 45 this year. All the good ones go too soon.
    Anyway, thanks for this video. Seeing it is like seeing my cousin all over again. Both RIP…

    • @reginafutch3211
      @reginafutch3211 2 роки тому +13

      So sorry for the lost of your friend. I hope you have peace knowing he's not fighting in this " Bitter Earth".

    • @blackbarbiebombshell
      @blackbarbiebombshell 2 роки тому +22

      RIP Cousin and Mr. Baldwin🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

    • @cocobee4453
      @cocobee4453 2 роки тому +13

      I'm glad to hear you have fond memories of your cousin. RIP to him and Mr. Baldwin!🕊

    • @BfitBblessed
      @BfitBblessed 2 роки тому +6

      Sending love to you and your cousin. This was a wonderful comment

    • @chrismc.4437
      @chrismc.4437 2 роки тому +2

      Did your cousin have a comparable dental misfortune?

  • @kimkennerly3114
    @kimkennerly3114 3 роки тому +54

    If you don't deal with reality, how can you face it? That sums up the state of America right now perfectly.

  • @williemurphy2421
    @williemurphy2421 8 місяців тому +2

    THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. THIS IS NEEDED TO BE SPOKEN TO EVERY DECADE.

  • @murelli6832
    @murelli6832 Рік тому +7

    Brilliant author, a great interview. And still not much has changed 43 years on....

  • @the8thstar655
    @the8thstar655 3 роки тому +76

    they deny our experiences but would never trade places with us

    • @namehere4954
      @namehere4954 3 роки тому +7

      You don't need your truth/experiences/knowing validated ever. It is truth. Universe/Allah/God/Source know it and that's all that matters. You can always find a human that will deny your reality so attempts to be validated or accepted will always be futile. Their validation is unnecessary and irrelevant. Stand in your knowing.

    • @heyokaempath5802
      @heyokaempath5802 3 роки тому +3

      @@namehere4954 awesome comment. Yes! All people need to understand that each one of us is "enough." We are fashioned in His image, and to hate dark/white/yellow skin is to hate God's creation. We need to stand tall and not judge anyone, that's God's job.

    • @SwampyMusic
      @SwampyMusic 3 роки тому

      Do sumthing about it

    • @gptsiteuser
      @gptsiteuser 3 роки тому +1

      Did u grow up during segregation? Were u growing up during slavery. White people have experiences too. As a black woman I can say what this mans talking about u would never understand

    • @concretelightbulb7082
      @concretelightbulb7082 2 роки тому +4

      @@gptsiteuser A "black woman" posting under a man's name using a caucasian avatar? Doubtful, also, the poster above understood perfectly what Mr. Baldwin conveyed in this interview.

  • @LeopoldNumberz
    @LeopoldNumberz 3 роки тому +176

    I loved that he told the children the truth! It won't be easy but you fight for what you want. Always a powerful message given unfiltered.

    • @loarnotoole36
      @loarnotoole36 3 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/6nuVhEdAgOY/v-deo.html

    • @jaleelkahn9647
      @jaleelkahn9647 3 роки тому +2

      Young Jeffrey wasn't really into it but yeah

    • @sonnyjohnson8887
      @sonnyjohnson8887 2 роки тому +1

      he thought the children Critical Race Theory Before Harvard did .. fascinating

    • @sonnyjohnson8887
      @sonnyjohnson8887 2 роки тому +1

      @@vintage-red-carpetmasonic-38 can you explain what Marxist mean ?

  • @beverleyreid7572
    @beverleyreid7572 9 місяців тому +3

    Such a great orator and such a beautiful voice. So happy he confronted his truth and so very missed.

  • @damc8415
    @damc8415 Рік тому +31

    "I don't know you personally, but I know you historically."🤯 Powerful words that tragically still resonate decades later.

    • @smolboyi
      @smolboyi 9 місяців тому +2

      What does he even mean? What if this person depends from a Slavic nation?
      Then they share more in common than he's aware of. Both born free, with heritage of slavery.

    • @helmepodesarius2198
      @helmepodesarius2198 9 місяців тому +3

      He’s just painting whites with a broad brush he’s committing the same error but he dressed it up in flowery language.

    • @queenofhearts2141
      @queenofhearts2141 4 місяці тому

      @@helmepodesarius2198 this is the opposite of what he did. he recognized that he did not know the specifics of who that woman was or what she was about, but he knew the treatment that his people had suffered as a result of the power given to white feelings and fancies, and he understood that society as we know it has been built on those feelings and fancies, so he stated frankly: “I know you historically.”

  • @duncanpinderhughes
    @duncanpinderhughes 3 роки тому +65

    them kids had so much respect & was so attentive to him!

  • @sparkysmom7149
    @sparkysmom7149 2 роки тому +166

    As a white who was born in the early 60s, I have to say, this man was correct. Very early on, I was taught to fear black people, yet no one could ever say why. By my late teens, I decided on my own there was absolutely nothing to fear. Us whites are just like blacks. We are human beings, just different colors. I don't understand the complete ignorance that whites pass down to their children. But it's up to us to break the stupid cycle. I am 59 years old now. My best friend is black. And she is the BEST. I find it interesting that whites fear blacks, because they think they're all drug users/dealers, etc. Yet there's actually just as many whites who ARE LIKE THAT. Racism simply HAS TO STOP. IT needs to be made ILLEGAL. It breeds ignorance, unfounded fear and hate, and so much hurt. It MUST STOP or our United States will never be what we want it to be for ALL OF OUR CHILDREN.

    • @donnavorce8856
      @donnavorce8856 9 місяців тому +8

      Someday, teaching your kids to hate might be a prosecutable offense.
      People - don't teach your kids to hate. If you want to hate, well, that's tragic, but don't expose your kids.

    • @brianpeck4035
      @brianpeck4035 9 місяців тому +2

      @@donnavorce8856 The State growing power over parental rights is a slippery slope. What about protecting our culture from other cultures? Is that racist?
      I don't think my race is superior to others...I like my culture better.

    • @mohnjarx7801
      @mohnjarx7801 9 місяців тому

      They were rioting in the 60s. I'd say that's sufficient reasoning to watch yourself around them

    • @indiosveritas
      @indiosveritas 9 місяців тому +4

      LOL

    • @mohnjarx7801
      @mohnjarx7801 9 місяців тому

      Racist whites are literally the least of our problems in this country, and world really.

  • @ScorpionSongbird
    @ScorpionSongbird 8 місяців тому +2

    That brillant mind said, " I don't know you personally, but I know you historically"....facts. Love him❤

  • @intensepassion3382
    @intensepassion3382 8 місяців тому +2

    "you're embattled so often, that's all you do...". James Baldwin I've loved this man since I was a teen