To celebrate James Baldwin’s life and work, Lewis Latimer House Museum hosts a special virtual Reading & Discussion series this fall. Participants are welcome to join any number of the five virtual sessions. This series takes place biweekly on Wednesday evenings in September – November 2021.
Facilitator: Sherese Francis
James Baldwin once said ““If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” Throughout his life Baldwin used his words to reveal difficult, complex truths about America and the world, about his communities and even about himself, because he believed truth-telling was an act of love. In this Reading and Discussion series, we will look at various writings from Baldwin, thinking about how his truths are still relevant in 21st century America.
Virtual Session 5
Despite not having as much of a focus in many studies about Baldwin, his religious, specifically Pentecostal, background influenced and shaped much of his writing. We will look at previous works and excerpts from Go Tell It On the Mountain to discuss how the tensions between religion and art shaped much of Baldwin's views on truth and love, and how the two shape our current cultural politics.
This Reading & Discussion series is supported by Humanities NY.