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JEN A. RECOMMENDS:

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America And Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own By Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

By Jen A., Contributor Vendor

"There have been superficial changes. Morally there has been no change at all and a moral change is the only real one." — James Baldwin

James Baldwin, who died in 1987 after a lifetime of writing about the Black experience in America, wrote with extraordinary power and poetic sensitivity. In Begin Again, Eddie S. Glaude Jr. mines the life, times, and writings of Baldwin to confront the truth of our racial history that belies what we Americans profess to believe about ourselves. Are all men created equal? Does our ideal of American democracy exist within a pristine shining city on a hill? Are we one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all? Glaude brings context to what Baldwin believed to be the lie American society can't let go of: that Blacks are inferior to whites. Baldwin believed in the hope that a moral reckoning would occur during numerous historical "reconstruction" periods that would narrow the value gap between Blacks and whites. But those hopes for a moral victory over unjust prejudice have all been dashed time and time again--most recently by the rise of the Republican right, white supremacists and Donald Trump. These groups are most certainly beating a very old dead horse in their desire to retain power over everyone they see as lesser or other. Glaude does an admirable job of honoring Baldwin's ghost while also adding his own stylish, literate and poetic observations — no doubt honed and perfected in a close study of the man whose writings he admires. America cannot move into the future without dealing with our sins of the past. It is our responsibility to finally bind and heal the wounds of our Black brothers and sisters. It is a responsibility that cannot be abdicated. We have tried and failed to fulfill this responsibility numerous times. Having tried and failed, we must get up, dust ourselves off, regroup, and begin again. Moral right is on our side. In the words of poet Lyle Lovett:

"Look

I understand too little too late

I realize there are things you say and do

You can never take back

But what would you be if you didn't even try

You have to try"

To learn more about James Baldwin's America and author Eddie S. Glaude Jr. listen to his conversation with Lee C. Camp on the No Small Endeavor podcast at nosmallendeavor.com