Times Magazine essay states that “James Baldwin is everywhere….activists often reach for him. Baldwin circulates“, this could not be more true as his writings are still relevant today in this political chaos that everyone is subjected to, this was no different with his essay, ‘The White Man’s Guilt’ in which he speaks about white American’s choice to ignore history due to their guilt. He goes on to speak about how this choice drive a distance between white people and their conscience. If it was possible to quote the entire essay, I would because I believe that everyone should read this, American or not, but to further convince you to read this, here are some quotes from the essay that definitely got me thinking.
“History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all we do.”
“In great pain and terror one begins to assess the history which has placed one where one is, and formed one’s point of view. In great pain and terror because, thereafter, one enters into a battle with that historical creation, Oneself according to a principle more humane and more liberating: one begins the attempt to achieve a level of personal maturity [Read full article here]