Podcast Summary: "James Baldwin Turns 100"

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: September 20, 2024

Episode Overview

This special episode commemorates the centennial of James Baldwin, one of the 20th century’s most significant public intellectuals and writers, born in New York in 1924. Host Alison Stewart explores Baldwin’s enduring impact on literature, race, and culture through recent public exhibitions at New York institutions, archival audio, and a conversation with exhibition curators Barry Brown (Schomburg Center) and Charles Carter (NYPL). Listeners and special guests reflect on their first encounters with Baldwin’s work and what his legacy means today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. James Baldwin’s Lasting Legacy

• [01:49]—Archival Baldwin audio sets the tone, highlighting his incisive critique of race and American life:
  • Quote: “Every single level of American life is infected with this terror... For 400 years, after all, essentially you’ve tried to destroy me... because you tried to persuade me that I’m what you say I am, that I’m just a little bit better than a mule.”
    (James Baldwin, 01:49)
• Baldwin’s relevance to discussions of social justice, personal identity, and creative expression is central to the episode.

2. Baldwin at 100: New York Exhibitions

• [03:05]—Two major exhibits celebrate Baldwin’s centennial:
  • Schomburg Center: “God’s Black Revolutionary Mouth” — showcases Baldwin’s earliest writings, including high school works and early notes for Go Tell it on the Mountain.
  • New York Public Library: “James Baldwin: Mountain to Fire” — features photographs and manuscripts, such as an early Giovanni’s Room draft.
• Both curators, Barry Brown and Charles Carter, share insights from their research and curation.

3. Personal Encounters: First Readings of Baldwin

• [04:17]—Barry Brown’s Introduction:
  • Quote: “The first book that I ever read was The Fire Next Time. ... The essay that stood out was A Letter to My Nephew.”
    (Barry Brown, 04:17)
  • Baldwin’s “hard truths about being Black in America” resonated deeply and sparked further inquiry.
• [05:12]—Charles Carter’s Story:
  • Quote: “The first James Baldwin book I read was Giovanni’s Room... It was the first novel that I read that really treated same sex relationships... with authenticity and respect.”
    (Charles Carter, 05:12)
  • For Carter, Baldwin was a beacon of queer representation and literary candor, especially in a midcentury context.

4. Baldwin’s Relationship with New York & the Schomburg Center

• [06:45]—Baldwin’s archive at the Schomburg:
  • Quote: “It was James Baldwin's dying wish for his papers to come to the Schomburg Center... He was born right here in Harlem, right across the street from the Schomburg Center at Harlem Hospital.”
    (Barry Brown, 06:45)
  • Baldwin’s deep connection to Harlem and the Schomburg led to his archive being housed there after his death.

5. Listeners Share Their Baldwin Stories

• [07:55]—Jerry from Larchmont:
  • First read Notes of a Native Son at 15, found it “revelatory.” Later pursued Giovanni’s Room in Russian while living in Moscow because it was banned.
  • Quote: “I loved his language, and I loved his ability to manage the essay as an art form.”
    (Jerry, 07:55)
• [13:02]—Maria from New Jersey:
  • Quote: “In my book, the measure of success is how much you impact other people, and Baldwin is at the top.”
    (Maria, 13:02)
• [20:12]—JoJo from Montclair:
  • Quote: “How could this man get into minds like this? It’s just so profound, his writing. I mean, he's one of my favorite writers of all time. Completely changed my life reading these books.”
    (JoJo, 20:12)

6. Baldwin’s Development as a Writer

• [09:26]—Charles Carter describes Baldwin’s high school yearbook entry, which underscores early self-awareness and ambition:
  • Quote: “On his yearbook page, his quotation is, ‘Fame is the spur,’ ... an indication that from very early on, this young man knew that he was destined for something big.”
    (Charles Carter, 09:26)
• [11:24]—Barry Brown unpacks themes in Baldwin’s early high school journalistic work, The Magpie:
  • Patriotic themes, race, faith, and literary experimentation across genres.
  • Early interviews with influences like Countee Cullen.

7. Baldwin’s Personal Turmoil and Literary Output

• [15:07]—The troubled father-son dynamic, present in Go Tell it on the Mountain and throughout Baldwin’s writing.
  • Quote: “He ... was sort of at a crossroads where he was deciding, am I going to follow into my father into the life of the church, or branch out on my own?”
    (Charles Carter, 15:07)
• [16:33]—New Yorker identity:
  • Photographs and correspondence show Baldwin’s creativity being recharged by visits home to New York and Harlem.
  • Quote: “You could get a sense that he really was recharged every time that he would come back to New York, every time that he would come back to Harlem.”
    (Barry Brown, 16:33)

8. Peering into Baldwin’s Creative Process

• [18:12]—Charles Carter discusses the evolution of Giovanni’s Room’s epigraphs—from Job to Whitman—as a window into Baldwin’s decision-making and courage:
  • Quote: “On the title page, we're seeing him build up through starting with Job and then finally arriving at Whitman. He's building up the courage to be bold enough to quote Whitman ... and thereby sort of being out right at the beginning to those who are paying attention.”
    (Charles Carter, 18:12)

9. Creative Anxiety and Peer Support

• [21:39]—Alison Stewart reads Baldwin’s letter to Lorraine Hansberry, requesting feedback on “this monstrous opus.”
  • Barry Brown explains Baldwin’s recurring anxiety about his writing, evident in correspondence with close friends like Hansberry and Maya Angelou.
  • Quote: “How is he so, like, afraid and ... anxious and nervous? But, I mean, he was a person just like you and I. So he certainly had those feelings sometimes of doubt... reaching out to his friends, his loved ones, that really gave him that encouragement and support that he needed.”
    (Barry Brown, 21:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Baldwin on American Racism:
  “I'm talking about American a social and economic and political situation which Americans have created and don't know how to get out of. And now it's a very challenging matter because if you can't change it, then I will have to. I believe in liberty. It's the American people who don't...”
  (James Baldwin, 01:49)

• Barry Brown on Representation:
  “James Baldwin was really telling a lot of hard truths about being Black in America. So I think that’s what stood out to me the most.”
  (Barry Brown, 04:36)

• Charles Carter on Queer Identity:
  “In Giovanni’s Room ... it treats this relationship between two men with an authenticity and a respect ... certainly a very early instance of this kind of respect and authenticity for those kinds of relationships.”
  (Charles Carter, 05:12)

• Listener Maria on Impact:
  “Every time that I ... listen to his speeches, he just presents a view of humanity ... that galvanizes me as a person and as an individual.”
  (Maria, 13:02)

• JoJo on Literary Influence:
  “His writing was just so incredible—the way he got into the crevices of people’s minds... Completely changed my life reading these books.”
  (JoJo, 20:12)

• Barry Brown on Baldwin’s Anxiety:
  “He is a brilliant genius to me. Like, how is he so afraid and how is he anxious and nervous? ... He certainly had those feelings sometimes of doubt... that really gave him that encouragement and support that he needed.”
  (Barry Brown, 21:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:49] — Archival audio: Baldwin on racism and American society
• [03:05] — Overview of centennial Baldwin exhibits in NYC
• [04:17] — Barry Brown describes first encounter with Baldwin’s writing
• [05:12] — Charles Carter on reading Giovanni’s Room and queer identity
• [06:45] — Baldwin’s connection to Harlem and the Schomburg Center
• [07:55] — Listener Jerry reflects on the “revelatory” nature of Notes of a Native Son
• [09:26] — Carter describes Baldwin’s ambitious high school years
• [11:24] — Early writings and influences discussed
• [13:02] — Listener Maria on Baldwin’s galvanizing humanity
• [15:07] — Father-son themes in Baldwin’s novels
• [16:33] — Baldwin’s enduring “New Yorker” identity
• [18:12] — Manuscript edits of Giovanni’s Room; authorial process
• [20:12] — Listener JoJo: “Completely changed my life reading these books.”
• [21:39] — Baldwin’s anxiety; letters to Lorraine Hansberry and Maya Angelou

Conclusion

Through intimate stories, manuscript details, and listener reflections, this episode underscores Baldwin’s complex humanity, creative brilliance, and the powerful resonance of his work across generations and communities. Baldwin’s centennial not only honors his legacy as a Black, queer New York writer but also as a searing observer who continues to galvanize, challenge, and comfort readers worldwide. The episode emanates admiration, gratitude, and—true to Baldwin’s own voice—a call for ongoing engagement with his ideas and ideals.