Legacy: The Artists Behind The Legends

James Arthur Baldwin, aka Jimmy (as everyone called him), was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist throughout the course of the 20th century. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Baldwin streamlined onto the writing scene in 1955 with a collection of essays entitled Notes of a Native Son, which explored the intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions during that time period in the United States. Baldwin’s short stories, novels, and plays brilliantly fictionalize the fundamental personal questions and dilemmas he faced during his life, all amidst complex social and psychological pressures along with racial disparity, sexual identity, masculinity, and status. His works, of course, run rampantly parallel with some of the major political movements toward social change in mid-twentieth century America, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Liberation Movement. And let me tell you, Jimmy was a fucking unbelievably brilliant speaker, both eloquent and forthright, honest an