On This Day: James Arthur Baldwin Birthday

Author, poet, and playwright James Baldwin was born on this day in 1924 in Harlem, New York. In his youth, he was briefly involved with the church which impacted his writing style, and he became involved with his high school literary club and school magazine. Due to the discrimination Baldwin experienced in the United States, he left the country and chose to live in Paris, France in the late 1940s where he evolved as a writer. Among some of his works are "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (1953), "Nobody Knows My Name" (1961), and "If Beale Street Could Talk" (1974). Baldwin traveled back to the United States in the 1960s and became involved in the Civil Rights movement, developing relationships with key figures including Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. View this collection of video clips to hear James Baldwin offer his views on issues and learn about his impact on writers.