James Baldwin, in his own words, on his birthday.
PRIDE & POWER: Voices of Liberation
•
3m 2s
Well, I know this. Anyone who's ever tried to live knows this. What you say about? Somebody else, you know anybody else? Revealed you. What I think of you as being. It's dictated by my own necessities, my own psychology, my own fears and desires. I'm going to describe to you. I talk about you describing me. Now here this kind of got something called a. It doesn't in such terms. I beg you to remark, it is in any other country in the world. We have invented the. I didn't invent him. White people invented it. I've always. I had to know by the. I was 17 years old. What you were describing was not me and what you were afraid of was not me. Has to be something. You had invented it, so it had to be something you were afraid of. You invested me with. Now that's so. No matter what you've done to me, I can say to you this, and I mean it. I know you can't do anymore and I got nothing to lose and I know. And I've always known. No, and really always. That's probably. I've always known that I'm not a. But if I am not the. And if it's true that your invention revealed you, then who is a? I am not the victim here. I know one thing from another. How do I, when I'm born and I'm going to be, you know, I was born, I'm going to have and I'm going to die. You get. Life is none the worse things about it. Now that a person is more important than anything else, anything else? I learned this because I had to learn it. But you still think, I gather? The Niger is necessary.
I.
Like unnecessary to me. So he must be necessary to you. I give you your problem back. You're the baby, isn't me.
Take this hammer, filmed with James Baldwin in the spring of 1963. Was produced for national educational television by the KQED film unit San Francisco. This is NET national educational television.
Up Next in PRIDE & POWER: Voices of Liberation
-
Behind the Lens: GLAAD Awards Documen...
Join presenters Marissa Bode and Jay Shetty as they honor outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking at the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards. This moment celebrates the powerful storytellers who bring authentic LGBTQ+ narratives to the forefront, continuing GLAAD's legacy of recognizing groundbrea...
-
THAT VOICE THO!
From New York's drag scene to the BGT finals, this boundary-breaking performer opens up about everything - the competition, the rich history of drag culture, and the art of camp that's captivating international audiences! 🌟
In this must-watch conversation, Jasmine breaks down:
🎠Her experience c... -
The Fight to Protect Trans Rights Aga...
Join In the Wake TV's own Alisha Mess as she hits the streets to cover a powerful rally in Union Square Park. Folks came out strong to advocate for our trans youth after President Trump signed that Executive Order. You know, the one that's restricting gender-affirming care and hitting so many fam...