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Birth date / Birth place
James Baldwin was born in Harlem Hospital on August 2nd 1924 -
Early Life
James Baldwin was never married nor did he have any children. But in his early life his mother,Emma Berdis Jones,left his biological father because of his drug abuse.She moved to Harlem,New York City.In New York,his mother married a Baptist preacher,David Baldwin,with whom she had eight children. Her husband also had one son from a previous marriage who was nine years older than James.His stepfather died of tuberculosis in the summer of 1943 on the day his last child was born. -
Education & jobs
Education:Baldwin attended P.S. 24 on 128th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues in Harlem, where he wrote the school song which was used until the school closed.
Jobs:In 1953, Baldwin's first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, a semi-autobiographical Bildungsroman, was published. He continued to experiment with literary forms throughout his career, publishing poetry and plays as well as the fiction and essays for which he was known. -
Obstacles he overcame
At the age of 10, he was teased and abused by two New York police officers, an instance of racist harassment by the NYPD that he would experience again as a teenager and document in his essays.he became dissatisfied with ministry, considering it hypocritical and racist, and ultimately left the church because his father's expectation was that he be a preacher. The difficulties of his life, including his stepfather's abuse, led Baldwin to seek solace in religion. -
How he changed society
Old and young, black and white, all races and colors and orientations, all different folks come out to see what Baldwin has to say, and to connect with him in powerful way, and he's connected with them because he writes about their truth -
Death date
Death: December 1, 1987 (aged 63) -
How does his contributions influence my life today
His contributions influence my life because he describes very influential moments of his lifeline in all of his books & James Baldwins' words were the greatest gift to America & to the people of all races. His essays arguably constitute his most substantial contribution to literature as well as famous writers of the 21st Century. -
Accomplishments
He was one of the 20th century's greatest writers, Baldwin broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues in his many works. He was especially known for his essays on the black experience in America. -
His contributions to the black community
his fame as a social observer grew in tandem with the civil rights movement as he mirrored blacks’ aspirations, disappointments, and coping strategies in a hostile society. -
Fun Facts
Baldwin became known as the most eloquent literary spokesperson for the civil rights of African Americans.
By 1987, when he died of stomach cancer at age 63, James Baldwin had become one of the most important and vocal advocates for equality.
