Happy Birthday James Baldwin (Part 2 of 3)

“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” - James Baldwin

Justin Kohn works with The Brothers' Network and has been heavily influenced by James Baldwin. Here's more about Baldwin's impact on Justin:

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Despite moving to Paris at the age of 24 and spending the majority of his adult life living overseas, James Baldwin retained a fondness for the United States. It was this fondness that led him to be so outspoken when observing injustice in the country.

Academic study of Baldwin and his writings has surged in the 21st century. His observations and politics transcend their age and maintain relevance now just as much — if not more than — they did in the 1960s. A gifted and eloquent orator, Baldwin spoke with explicit intentionality and actively challenged others to do the same. This practice laid the foundation for much of his criticism on William Faulkner's stumbling remarks on the topics of desegregation and race relations in the South. It also meant that his writings lent themselves seamlessly as inspiring rally cries during the Civil Rights Movement, both in the 1960s and presently.

Baldwin's articulate, unflinching, and, in his own words, perpetual criticisms made him one of the best-selling Black writers of the 20th century, and his depth of thought has withstood the test of time. 60 years later, his teachings continue to be spread in academia as well as at gatherings in our current Civil Rights movements.

We celebrate the late, great James Baldwin not only as a canonical figure in our history, but as one whom we continue to champion as a paragon of intellectualism. At The Brothers' Network, his influence on our mission, vision, and values cannot be understated.

- Justin Kohn
 

The Brothers' Network founder, Gregory T. Walker, at Les Duex Magots, the Parisian café where Baldwin famously wrote "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and engaged in dialogue with Jean-Paul Sartre and Richard Wright