James Baldwin: Confronting History

James Baldwin passed away more than two decades ago, yet his words and influence continue to leave an indelible mark upon society. Baldwin's musings echo within the the contemporary moment, his sentiments from the past serve as vital material for grappling with and better understanding the present. Within Eddie Glaude's article titled "James Baldwin and the Trap Of Our History", the author articulates how Baldwin's words seep into the contemporary moment and seek to guide us through the complicated terrain of the nation's current moment. Glaude recounts Baldwin's 1965 publication in Time titled "The White Man's Guilt". Within the article Baldwin asserts that a major problem within the country is white America's inability to confront the atrocities of the past and come to terms with the facets of the past that haunt and loom large within the present. Baldwin argues that Black American's have never believed in the mythical historical narratives that the majority of white america 'clings' to. Although Baldwin penned this article many years ago, it still holds true to this day. White America is still, in many ways, numb to the truth. American's seek to shield their own fragility by putting on blinders to the fact that the nation was built by slaves and that after abolition it continued to purvey racial terror.
By not confronting the past, whites do a disservice to themselves as well as the rest of society. Without facing history and learning from its implications, it is impossible to mend the systematic structures that have been disenfranchised over time.
Glaude also examines Teju Cole's "Known and Strange Things". Cole puts forth the notion that places retain fragments of history and remain permanently marred by tragic or violent events, places like the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. Cole writes "History, won't let us go. We're pinned to it." This message emboldens Baldwin's and seems especially relevant during today's social climate. Although we may choose to ignore certain events of the past, it will not simply evaporate from history. It will continue to permeate the present. As American's we find ourselves in a moment of great uncertainty and fear in the wake of the recent presidential election. The election of a sexist, racist and xenophobic man to the highest office is proof that Baldwin's words still ring true--we have not confronted the great pain and terror of our past. The malodorous stench of injustice still seeps through the cracks of our nation, it is difficult not to see how the contemporary moment evokes reflection upon the past.
There is a reason why James Baldwin's spirit is immortalized through his writing, he offered up a voice during a time of unrest and was willing to speak his truth elegantly and unflinchingly. It is critical to reflect on and evoke Baldwin and his sentiments regarding confronting the past now more than ever.