1)Baldwin writes, in both his fiction and his essays, about the conditions of Black American life in the middle of the last century. Where do you see connections between the things Baldwin says and present-day social justice movements, and in particular the Black Lives Matter movement? If you're not familiar with the current social protest movement, it's okay to write about the movement for Black equality in the United States more generally. What, specifically, do you think Baldwin can teach us about the time we live in now?

This lesson will explain how James Baldwin's essays "A letter to my nephew" and "the fire next time" inter alia, speak about the present day situation relative to social justice movements and the message he teaches us about the present civil rights advocacy in the African American society.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Lesson outline

LESSON 1:

INTRODUCTION

LESSON 2:

FIRE NEXT TIME

LESSON 3:

A LETTER TO MY NEPHEW ON EMANCIPATION'S ONE-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY

LESSON 4:

BALDWINS MESSAGE VIS-A-VIS THE BLACK LIVES MATTER SLOGAN

REFERENCES

Step-by-step explanation

LESSON 1:

INTRODUCTION

James Baldwin was an iconic writer who hailed from Harlem. He was a seasoned scholar and championed for black people's humanity. In fact, this writer made it his life's mission the shine a light on the plight of the black man in a country which he built but not for himself. Relevant to this study, Baldwin made a speech in 1965 at the Cambridge university where he was to debate on the American dream. Here he coined the phrase Black lives matter and without a doubt made a convincing argument as to why these lives matter. In this study, we will examine two of his texts and connect Baldwin's message to the June 2020 Black lives matter protests(Natividad, 2020).

This lesson will explain how James Baldwin's essays "A letter to my nephew" and "the fire next time" inter alia, speak about the present day situation relative to social justice movements and the message he teaches us about the present civil rights advocacy in the African American society.

LESSON 2:

FIRE NEXT TIME

In the year 1963, James Baldwin wrote an essay titled Fire Next time. Its title was motivated by his fear. He feared that if America did not seize the chance to grant the black man the right to unify, the African American society was in jeopardy and would get burnt. These essay gave him a platform in which to address the issue of the unification between the white society and the African American society. In fact, the essay resembled a plea or request to this end. According to Rocque (2020), he described the text as one of the greatest writings of the twentieth century. For a good reason. The book sold over a million copies after its publication in 1963. As such, his message becomes relevant and popular today since it was widely read. In the 1960s, he was the most sought after African American writer.

LESSON 3:

A LETTER TO MY NEPHEW ON EMANCIPATION'S ONE-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY

James Baldwin authored this essay in the form of a letter. The letter was addressed to his nephew containing pieces of advice with regard to the racism situation in America at the time. More so, the letter gives the reader a glimpse of his future expectations. According to Rocque (2020), the message of non-violent means of advocating for justice stood out. He warns his nephew against using violent means to advocate for peaceful means. Further, he still advocates for a unified society but admits that it may be impossible in his time. He says, "Though my plea may be impossible at times like this, one can only demand for the impossible." (Natividad, 2020)

LESSON 4:

BALDWINS MESSAGE VIS-A-VIS THE BLACK LIVES MATTER SLOGAN

Fifty five years since the coining of the Black lives matter, America is still coming together to protest on the same issues Baldwin advocated for. With the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, it is clear that police brutality still undermines his message. However, his message of peaceful protests and unification did not fall on deaf ears. The whole world joined America in protesting against police brutality but in a peaceful manner. Social media and peaceful marching send the message that Black live matter all over the world (Natividad, 2020).