Eddie S. Glaude Jr. on James Baldwin

I recently joined an anti-racism group that is learning and sharing together. This episode of Throughline was part of our prework this week.

1. The entire Throughline show is awesome - I love the way they interview and dive into America's history.
2. I've been reading and learning a lot more about James Baldwin in the past few years, and wow, did he get America.
3. Eddie S. Glaude seems to know James ("Jimmy") intimately, even though they never met, and it shows in this interview. I just ordered his book, "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own".

Give the episode a listen. I'd love to talk more about it with you (you can join to comment, send me an email, or find me on Bluesky).

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/912769283

Here are a few quotes that stood out to me in the episode. I encourage you to check it out (45 minutes).

James Baldwin:

“I cannot be a pessimist, because I am alive.”

"One of the things that most afflicts this country is that white people don't know who they are or where they come from. That's why you think I'm a problem. But I am not not the problem. Your history is. And as long as you pretend you don't know your history, you're going to be the prisoner of it."

"The role of the artist or responsibility of the artist is to make you respect that moment above all other, to recognize that there is nothing under heaven, no creed and no flag and no cause, more important than the single human life."

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.:

“So America's not unique in its sins. Right? We may be unique in the efficient way in which we denied them.”

“Jimmy - he could have taken the bribe. And what is the bribe? The bribe is your silence. The bribe is, you know, just pursue your craft and make your money. The bribe is to adjust yourself to injustice.”

"There's reason to think that we are on the precipice of change, but there's no guarantee. But wherever human beings are, we at least have a chance because we're not only disasters; we're also miracles."

"But you know, America's like Never-Never Land. And we all want to be Lost Boys and Girls, where we don't want to be responsible or accountable. We'd rather be safe and secure in our innocence."

Note: the image of Baldwin above is from the Europeana story, "Audre Lorde, James Baldwin & Astrid Roemer: Three Black authors from the Americas who have lived in Europe."