[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 146 (Wednesday, December 3, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF HARLEM RENAISSANCE POET LAUREATE JAMES 
                                BALDWIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 3, 2014

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration that I rise 
today to join all of the people in the village of Harlem and my 
Congressional District to pay tribute to Mr. James Baldwin, a legendary 
writer who broke new literary ground by exploring racial and social 
issues embedded in American history.
  On Saturday, August 2, 2014, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, 
the Harlem Arts Alliance, the New Heritage Theatre Group, Columbia 
University School of the Arts, The National Black Theater, Street 
Corner Resources, Harlem Renaissance High School, and HARLEM WEEK, Inc. 
joined elected officials, community board members, residents, and poet 
laureates to recognize August 2nd as James Baldwin Day in celebration 
of his 90th birthday. Among the many tributes, the marquee of the 
famous Apollo Theater read ``Happy 90th Birthday James Baldwin.'' Above 
all, a portion of East 128th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Madison 
Avenue, where he once lived was renamed ``James Baldwin Way''.
  Mr. Baldwin was born to Emma Jones, a single mother, on August 2, 
1924 in Harlem, New York. While he never met his biological father, Mr. 
Baldwin did have a father figure growing up, Baptist Minister David 
Baldwin. The preacher's religious influence had a lasting impression on 
James and his writings. The language of the church shaped the cadences 
and tones of his work, becoming unmistakable hallmarks of his literary 
style. He would go on to spend three years as a youth minister.
  After striking out on his own and moving away from home, Mr. Baldwin 
published short stories in national periodicals under the tutelage of 
his mentor, Beauford Delaney, a renowned Harlem Renaissance painter. 
Disillusioned by the growing bigotry towards African-Americans and the 
gay community, Baldwin left our country and settled in France at the 
age of 24. He found that the distance gave him enough space to reflect 
on his experience as a black man in white America. Please allow me to 
quote Mr. Baldwin's later thoughts on this dramatic change in his life: 
``Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean, I saw where I 
came from very clearly . . . I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a 
writer. I must deal with both.'' Through his writing, Baldwin was 
forced to confront this enlightening reality.
  While he spent much of his life abroad, Baldwin was recognized as a 
quintessential American writer. In 1953, Baldwin published his first 
novel, a semi autobiography called Go Tell It on the Mountain, which 
explores the repression, moral hypocrisy, religious inspiration, and 
community ties that characterized the Black American experience. His 
two collections of essays, Notes of a Native Son (1955) and Nobody 
Knows My Name (1961), as well as his two novels, Giovanni's Room (1956) 
and Another Country (1962), were immediate bestsellers. The works 
Baldwin published during this unsettling time in American history, 
explored the deep-rooted racial tension with eloquence and unparalleled 
honesty. As his collection of notable literary works continue to exude 
words of strength, power, and wisdom, his writing will forever remain 
an essential part of the American literary canon.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me 
as we celebrate this year, the 90th Birthday of Harlem Renaissance Poet 
Laureate James Baldwin.

                          ____________________