JAMES BALDWIN
American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist.
Angela Davis and her mother attended this talk given by James Baldwin in a church in Harlem.
“The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” - James Baldwin
Before we did this shoot, I took Robert Humphrey to a thrift store where he picked out what he wanted to wear. He had a dream of being an actor. He styled himself beautifully.
I was totally fascinated by the way Robert chose his clothes, the way he wore them. He decided on rolling up his sleeves and wearing the silk white scarf.
THIS IS TRUE FASHION
In the 1970’s, I was using a micro-cassette voice recorder to learn English with the children in the projects. We used to meet in the staircase and go to a corridor for lessons and dance classes. I was very lucky to learn new steps every day as well as learn English with the children, one of whom was Robert Humphrey.
They would all make sure that I repeated words in English until I pronounced them exactly right. Upon hearing Robert Humphrey on the tapes, along with seeing my photographs of him, James Baldwin really wanted to meet him. I went to pick Baldwin up at his hotel in Central Park so that we could go to the projects to meet Robert Humphrey and his mother, Margaret.
I used to give the cassettes I made of the English lessons to James Baldwin regularly—which he was very fond of— often saying that the children's voices brought him back to his childhood in Harlem.
A precious gift dear to my heart from Margaret Humphrey; a photo of Robert made in a famous studio called “Cameron.”
My admiration for Baldwin has no limit. Reading his books taught me so much.