"Baldwin in the Crosshairs"

• In Event: Black Educational Experiences in the Crosshairs

Abstract

How might James Baldwin respond to recent attacks against Black Studies and Black life and culture? Many Baldwin texts reveal the value of his thought for responding to current conservative attacks against Black Studies. I examine Baldwin’s debate with Buckley as an indicator of how Baldwin might respond to current trends in conservative political thought. At issue in the debate was the question : Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro? In the debate, Baldwin emphasized the meaning of “expense” and the high price paid to maintain delusions and structures of white supremacy. Like everything else in our world, the price – Baldwin often referred to “the price of the ticket” – the cost of maintaining white supremacy has risen (another kind of inflation). I read the debate between Baldwin and Buckley as an earlier iteration of current political clashes between Black progressive thought and white supremacist backlash, represented by Buckley. Baldwin’s comments provide an index of his larger complex of social and political thought and a prophetic statement engaging in current conversations about topics such as the teaching of African American history. Meanwhile, Buckley’s comments, as a standard-bearer for the conservative intellectual tradition, speak to ongoing voter discrimination and voter suppression. Baldwin lived and worked in the crosshairs of the culture wars, and his commentary provides insights and strategies for our current moment.

Author

• Shawn Salvant, University of Connecticut