Resistance | Day 2 | James Baldwin Claps Back

It happened on a Thursday.

February 18, 1965.  

The exact moment we fell in love with James Baldwin.

It wasn’t because he was a boy genius who spent every day at the library. It wasn't event his fiery church sermons as a teen or loving debates with Malcolm X as a young man. It was on this day, that he was propelled onto the world stage.  He was raw, nervous, authentic.  A Black man with vocabulary as arsenal, able to tag a full picture of our pain.  This was his opus.  His coming out as our Jimmy, our defender against bullies on the schoolyard.  Baldwin stood toe-to-toe with “the father of conservatism,” segregationist William Buckley in the hallowed halls of Oxford under the glare of entitled white boys. By himself. With a cloak of our peoples' sorrow and swag flying from his tiny frame. He said, not today.  At that moment, he became our tragic hero - an outcast, small, gay, committed, way too smart for any neighborhood.  It was swoon-worthy.  And from there he went on a world tour of verbal lashing and protest speeches, articles, and books to demand the total liberation of Black people. 

Let’s go on a victory lap for this man’s life.


Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.

Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpt played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:

Janelle Monáe - Tightrope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc

James Baldwin and Paul Weiss Debate Discrimination In America | The Dick Cavett Show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzH5IDnLaBA&feature=youtu.be