James Baldwin: The Writer and Intellectual

Greetings, Students.

Above is a clip from the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. The topic of this Baldwin and Buckley debate is "Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro?"

• How does this introduction to James Baldwin and this debate affirm, change, or challenge your understanding of American culture, African American culture and the Civil Rights Movement? 

• What point of either argument did you find most compelling?  How did this point help you to understand whether or not 'the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro'?

Please post the argument or statement in the comments box and add why you found it compelling.  

Want more on Baldwin?  Watch James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket

Above is an embedded viewing of the documentary James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket. It is available via the UK Libraries' subscription to Films on Demand. 

The documentary begins to explore James Baldwin's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and his perspectives about race relations in segment 24. Feel free to learn more.