DCCAH: Bayard Rustin & James Baldwin: Freedom Fighters & Friends

Source:The New Democrat

James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin both had two strikes against them and really in Bayard’s case three. But I guess he didn’t strike out because the umpire felt charitable or what have you. But they were both Black and of African descent and if that is not bad enough for Caucasian racists, they were both gay as well. Which would be like someone who is an Atheist, Socialist and a Communist and perhaps even supporter of Islāmic Jihad against Americans all in the same package. These two men were considered devils by anyone who had excuse the expression, shit for brains and not smart enough to know better.

But these two men were two of the best freedom fighters that America has ever produced, because they both knew what they wanted and were intelligent. Confronting people who weren’t intelligent and saw African people as animals and devils who should still be slaves. All they wanted was the same freedom as any other American. The right to live their lives and the right not to be discriminated against based on race. To have their constitutional rights enforced as equally as Caucasian-Americans. Nothing more than nothing less and if you look at the U.S. Constitution, that is a lot of what it is about. And a big part of the American dream.

Revolutionary Workers Party: Video: Malcolm X vs. James Baldwin

I have a problem with Malcolm X having a problem with the civil rights sit-ins of, I believe, from 1963, and perhaps earlier than that. Because what these young Americans were doing was saying that they were people too and that they could not be denied service simply because of their race or color. And all they were doing by going to these restaurants and diners and what Rosa Parks did on the bus by refusing to give up her seat to a Caucasian man was saying “we are here too and you can’t force us to leave.” Perhaps what Malcolm X would’ve preferred was that the demonstrators had bats or guns or something. And when a racist would tell them to move or try to physically move then that they would get hit the demonstrator.

Riverbends Channel: Video: NET Oxford Union Debate: Has The American Dream Been Achieved at the Expense of the American Negro

Source:The Daily Post

You won't find better debates than this one, with so many intelligent, thoughtful, respectful people, a debate with both James Baldwin and William Buckley. In this debate, they are addressing the biggest issue of the 1960s, perhaps the biggest issue in the history of the United States, civil rights. Should we treat all Americans regardless of race equally under the law?

As far as the debate goes, I believe the answer is obvious, that of course the American dream for Caucasian-Americans has been achieved at the expense of Africans who were kidnapped and brought to America and the Caribbean to serve Caucasians.  Once the Africans were legally free from slavery and became Americans, Caucasians continued to live the American dream at the expense of African-Americans.

The examples are obvious starting with slavery and then moving to segregation during which African-Americans were forced to live in inadequate ghetto housing and attend substandard schools. They had to settle for the only jobs they could get, such as house servants for upper and middle class Caucasian-American families, because they were denied the educational opportunities that would lead to well-paying jobs with good benefits.

Twre Flect: Video: NET: James Baldwin, Who is The Nigger?

Source:The Daily Post 

James Baldwin was certainly not a nigger. Only ignorant people who do not know enough about the people they are afraid of regardless of race are niggers. What I believe Baldwin’s point about nigger, a word I hate and not even comfortable writing, let alone saying, but what I think he was saying is that nigger was something that people who hate Africans and people of African descent call African people especially African-Americans. Caucasian racists of European descent who are both ignorant and hateful of people with dark brown and black complexions that African people especially African-Americans tend to have. Native-Africans just tend to have black skin unless they come from the Arab states in the North and people up there tend to look more Mediterranean decent. People with olive and brown complexions. Italians, Greeks, Southern Slavs, French, Spanish, Portuguese and so-forth.

California Newsreel: Video: James Baldwin: The Price of The Ticket

Source:The Daily Post 

I think James Baldwin’s best statement in this video is that he wasn’t a member of a race or a religion or any group. That he was a human being and I imagine as such that is all he wanted to be seen as and judged as. James Baldwin the person and perhaps who just happens to also be part of this group or these groups. And isn’t that Martin King’s’ dream that he dreamed of a world where his children wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Or how I would put it and how I look at people as both a person and a Liberal, that I look at people as individuals first. And perhaps as members of groups second or even further down the line. But not as part of this race, ethnicity, religion or any other class that has nothing to do with how good of a person they are. And how they should be judged and treated in life.

Malcolm X Network: Video: James Baldwin on Malcolm X

Source:The Daily Post 

James Baldwin was from the Martin L. King school of civil rights. That African-Americans needed to work with other Americans in order to get their freedom. Which is what separated him from Malcolm X who had more of a revolutionary approach to civil rights.The MLK approach to equal rights and equal rights enforcement was not only more successful and the better course to achieving equal constitutional rights enforcement under law, but it would’ve been the only one that could’ve been successful in this movement. Because it was inclusionary and t brought in not just African-Americans, but Caucasian, Latino, Jewish, the mainstream media that was mostly male Caucasian at this point. And all the different media outlets regardless of race. And members of Congress both Democrats and Republicans that was necessary to pass the civil rights laws of the 1960s.

RBG Street Scholar: James Baldwin & Dick Gregory- ‘Baldwin’s Nigger (1969)’

Source:RBG Scholar- James Baldwin & Dick Gregory in 1969.

Source:The Daily Times

“RBG-James Baldwin and Dick Gregory Baldwin’s Nigger (1969)” 

From RBG Scholar

James Baldwin’s message seems to be about individual empowerment and individual freedom, that African-Americans should empower themselves and standup for their own lives and take charge of their own lives. And perhaps even stop complaining. Not forget about all the injustices that came to this community before, but for this community to move forward, they need to take control of their own lives and build their own lives and communities.

James Baldwin, who what I’ve heard from him, sounds more like Martin King, then Malcolm X, when it came to the civil rights movement, or the Black Power movement. Someone who not only believes in non-violence, but believes in social democracy and democratic socialism when it comes to solving the problems of the African-American community. In this speech, sounds more like Malcolm X. Talking about personal responsibility, to go along with individual freedom and empowerment.

In this Baldwin speech he seems to be arguing that African-Americans, should stand up and take their freedom and build their own community. And not expect others to do that for them. Sounds very much like Malcolm X. Fighting violence with violence, which is essentially what Malcolm X preached when it came to racist Caucasians who abuse African-Americans, would’ve not of accomplished what was needed to end racist laws and state-sponsored racism. Because it wouldn’t have brought other communities to support the African-American freedom fighters.

But individual freedom through education and economic development and infrastructure in underserved communities, would give African-Americans the tools that they need to live in freedom.

Donnie Mossberg: Malcolm X Debate With James Baldwin, September 5, 1963

Source:Real Life Journal 

This is the perfect debate to have because what is integration worth if it doesn’t come with freedom. You could have different races and ethnicities integrated in the same community, city, state or even country. But if one race of people or one ethnicity of people doesn’t have the same freedom and constitutional rights under law as another and can be fired and denied the right to vote, or live in a home or speak out in public simply because of their race, then what is integration worth for the people who do not have freedom.

Malcolm X wasn’t interested in integration at all and simply not integration at the sake of integration. But he was interested in freedom for an entire race of people who had been denied it for their entire existence in North America. Since the time they were African slaves to Europeans in the British colonies and then later the United States, to post Civil War where they were denied the same freedom as European-Americans as officially American citizens and free people.