In “The Fire Next Time” author James Baldwin provides a unique perspective inside the lives of African American and race in the 20th century. Unlike his predecessors he shows an angle of life as an African American male that is different from that of those who came before him. Baldwin’s story tells of the challenges and anger that he held against previous generations of black men who had not done enough to fulfil the freedom of the black people. Baldwin’s experience is one of a young black man looking for an answer in a sea of confusing options. His family brings him limited options, as do the religions that he is exposed to. Baldwin is troubled by which direction to turn as he finds disappointment in every corner in his search for genuine emancipation of the black people in America as you can see from the following excerpt from the book, “This innocent country set you down in a ghetto in which, in fact, it intended that you should perish” (Baldwin, p. 11).
Baldwin expresses his experience of being black and the solution to the racial problems among the whites as an issue that should be overcome by love and decency of one’s fellow human being despite one’s skin color. His message was more powerful for white liberals than it was for black people, as most ignored his message of “love” as the answer to racial inequality. Yet the white world would not see this perspective, “Neither civilized reason or Christian love would cause any of those people to treat you as they presumably wanted to be treated” (Baldwin, p. 14). However, his journey into religion as a feasible answer to the liberation of black struggle was met with disappointment in both the Christian and Muslim faith.
His family who raised him Christian was heavily influential in his decision to participate in the church. When he found that the solution the black people’s problems could not be found in the Christian faith, he turned toward Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He hoped that perhaps this group of black people had found the answer to uplift the condition of black in America. Unfortunately even there he came to find nothing special, which was a disappointment. If anything he began to have tensions with Elijah Muhammad similar to his relationship with his father.
The Nation of Islam, a group of black Muslims who wished to be given land to call their own for all the troubles they suffered at the hands of white people was a group Baldwin considered participating in. “A white man’s Heaven is a black man’s Hell” sang a black Muslim minister (Baldwin, p. 26) Perhaps here he would find the answer and solution to the problems facing black America. The leader of the group at that time, Elijah Muhammad had very particular views and displayed anger in a manner that reminded Baldwin of his father’s temper. As a result of this association it was difficult for Baldwin to work alongside Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam.
In addition to his challenges with Elijah Muhammad, Baldwin felt he saw the same situation among the Nation of Islam leader and its members as he had seen in the Christian church. What he found were wealthy leaders and preachers who lived in fancy houses and owned expensive things, meanwhile the followers were all simple people often living in poverty. Both the preachers, as well as Elijah Muhammad lived in nice big houses and rode in fancy cars with luxurious clothing, which did not bode well with Baldwin. In addition to the tangible goods he noticed, he did not like the idea of black people having their own community or land entirely separate from the white citizens (Baldwin, p.29). He began to think that religious groups would not be the answer that black people in America needed. Especially because he felt it was more so a matter of having love and decency in oneself to fully be accepted and to accept another regardless of their skin color.
When looking at Baldwin’s perspective compared to many of those who came before him, such as W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey, one could see little nuances of each individuals beliefs trickled into Baldwin’s philosophy. Although unlike the other men who influenced the racial divide in America, Baldwin hoped to engage the people through love and acceptance. Fortunately this message was heard by white liberals, but the problem was that both the white and black populations needed to receive the message. However, the message that WEB Dubois wished to impart on the acknowledgment of racial divide in America was not received in a manner that helped uplift the black population out of the poverty and hardship to the degree that one would assume he wished to do.
Perhaps Baldwin’s view is more in alignment with that of Booker T. Washington who felt that it was more important to go about one’s business of working hard to secure land and home for one’s family than to fight for equal rights. It seems Washington was not stuck on the idea that there would be equality among whites and blacks, therefore his message was focused more on the hard work that work help black folks rise out of poverty and slowly become as educated and capable as their white counterparts.
Although Baldwin may not have entered into the political arena the way the Marcus Garvey did, there were some resemblances to his life that correlate with Garvey’s. Both men left the United States out of frustration for the lack of progress that was occurring for the black people in America. However, Baldwin realized that he must continue to fight the fight with the message he strongly believed. His message was centered on getting past the differences of the color of skin and uniting as one within the country as brothers and sisters. Baldwin’s stance was that we are kin folk due to sharing the country we live in and it is in each other’s best interest to see the other grow and expand in their knowledge and culture.
Many of the great black leaders that came before Baldwin had some strong messages that help progress the problems facing black Americans; however even after Baldwin’s time there is a long way to go in reaching a sincere state of equality. Even after having a black man as President, the country is still heavily divided on racial issues that create an imbalance in socio-economic status, wealth and poverty. The one’s who end up with the highest rate of poverty and difficulty in the United States is still black people. One could hope that studying the works of WEB Dubois, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, James Baldwin, and a list of other great black men who worked hard to win this fight for African American people who have not yet seen justice.
It is the greatest desire of the likes of people like Baldwin that the compilation of all these men and women along with their messages can be heard by the younger generations who hold the power to transform the condition of people. To help raise people up whether they are black, white, Latino, Asian or any race or ethnicity. America should be open and accepting of providing opportunity to all humans without using the old models of racism that left a large percentage of colored people disenfranchised. In conclusion, Baldwin’s message was one more to add to the inspiring slew of messages that have come before and will continue after his time.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. New York: Vintage International, 1993. Print.
