We Must See it to Believe It.

As a Writer, Author, Poet and World-Shifter, I look to the giants of the past to pave my runway. James Baldwin is an icon not only for his contributions to the literary world but for his unapologetic and radical acceptance of himself. When I reflect on why representation of LGBTQ+ trail blazers matters, he is the first icon that comes to mind.

James Baldwin did the unthinkable at a time when the world he was born into was too small to contain him. It is a notoriously known fact that due to the unyielding suppression of Black, gay men in America during Mr. Baldwin’s reign, he up and left for greener pastures. He is an inspiration for queer representation because he refused to be closeted in his life, his work or in his country. So many Americans claw and scratch for their entire lives to realize the “American Dream” that they abandon the thought of dreaming beyond this country tis of thee.

James Baldwin’s spoke the following profound words during a monumental 1965 debate entitled “The American Dream: Is It at The Expense of the Negro?”

It comes as a great shock, around the age of five or six or seven, to discover that the flag to which you’ve pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to discover that [actor] Gary Cooper killing off the Indians [in movies], when you were rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians were you. It comes as a great shock to discover the country which is your birthplace and to which you owe your life and your identity has not in its whole system of reality evolved any place for you.

Source: Ostberg, René. "James Baldwin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Baldwin. Accessed 8 October 2024.

This level of self-awareness, and commitment to his own self preservation is an inspiration for generations to follow. Dream bigger than the American Dream. That dream was a big wolf ticket and Baldwin was not afraid to look beyond the veil. What makes his radical vision so profound is that James Baldwin boldly proclaimed this disdain in a year when his friends and fellow civil rights activists were being assassinated left and right. He had the courage to think beyond the white picket fence malarkey they sold to us.

I am motivated to think big like Baldwin as a writer and as a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. His bold decision to represent queer concepts at the risk of being denied from publishing houses was no small feat. He made his entire livelihood as a writer. There was no fall back plan. In the face of rejection, he remained resilient. His voice mattered and he was willing to sacrifice everything he was ever comfortable with to explore new terrains. He made a place for himself to experience freedom in this lifetime.

He left the homophobic confines of Harlem in 1948 shortly after graduating high school and at the early onset of his writing career. As a Black expat in Europe for eight years, he lived out loud and loved who he wanted. This freedom paid off substantially, because during this time, Baldwin produced some of his immortal works including: Everybody Protest, Go Tell it On the Mountain and Notes of a Native Son. Had he stayed and continued to suffocate under the suppression of the Jim Crow riddled USA who knows what would have come of his writing career.

James Baldwin’s life and legacy is just as relevant today as it was during his time on this earth. Since his death in 1987, his work has inspired some of the most riveting films, poetry and activism movements. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Raoul Peck, Barry Jenkins, Jesmyn Ward have all produced award winning works inspired by the legacy that Baldwin left behind.

It is my deep hearted belief that American literature would not be what it is today had he not made the decision to choose love over a one-sided pledge of allegiance. His work pushed the boundaries by exploring themes of LGBTQ, Black expat living in the land beyond the U.S.A. Thanks to his courageousness, we have a blueprint for circumventing suppression. He blazed the trail for so many queer people to push for peace even if it’s beyond the picket fence.

As a writer, I am inspired by his bodacious legacy. He set the foundation for freedom with his own demonstration of by any means necessary. Baldwin makes it clear that the world is so much bigger than the confines of this country. I am forever grateful for his unapologetic and unrelenting plea for Black and queer people to wake up and go for greener pastures. His life story speaks profoundly to the fact that in search of freedom, love, peace and harmony--the risk is always worth the reward.