What does it mean to be Black, a man, someone in the world known for what you can offer? In this video, I unpack my affinity for James Baldwin, how Black men mask to survive the pitfalls of patriarchy, and how I've navigated this in my own life.
🎬 Documentaries Featured
Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris (1971) | Directed by Terence Dixon, this documentary captures Baldwin in conversation and at ease in his adopted city of Paris. Intimate and unguarded, it offers a rare window into the man offstage — his humor, his complexity, his refusal to simplify himself for any audience. A time capsule of Baldwin in his prime.
A Stranger in the Village (2022) | Inspired by Baldwin’s landmark 1953 essay of the same name — written after his stay in the remote Swiss village of Leukerbad — this documentary returns to that village and asks what has changed. It bridges Baldwin’s original meditation on race, Blackness, and Western civilization with the present moment, letting his words echo across seven decades.
🔗 Where to Find These
Baldwin: A Love Story — available at major booksellers and libraries
James Baldwin: A Biography — available at major booksellers and libraries
Meeting the Man — searchable on YouTube and streaming archives
A Stranger in the Village — check your local streaming platforms
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