James Baldwin can only be appreciated when a certain level of intelligence has been achieved. I remember reading his book, Go Tell It On A Mountain, in the 10th grade and feeling somewhat confused and uncomfortable. I recall wondering, ‘how can this possibly relate to me?’ In essence, the story that we read in class, excerpted from The Fire Next Time, has a very similar message as his novel. This time around, however, I instantly fell in love with his words. Though he was discussing a very personal experience, I felt like I had gone through a remarkably similar thought process as I transitioned from adolescence to adulthood. It was extraordinary to read about something that is so natural yet so difficult to discern amongst our array of emotions and thoughts.
Even more compelling was actually seeing Baldwin talk. With the fervent zeal of a preacher, he raised the most sensitive of topics to a large audience, including the struggle, oppression, and inferiority that African Americans felt. It seems as if all of Baldwin’s work and life was spent on trying to really understand, question, and change his place in society. One noteworthy point about his speech was that each sentence was extremely well deliberated. Even more impressive was just how smooth his transitions were between each statement and the confidence that he spoke with. Listening to his speech, it was as if every word became a fact, regardless of its true merit. It is easy to say that through all of the struggles that James Baldwin faced, he became a leader.
