CCNY celebrates the centennial of writer and activist James Baldwin's birth with a calendar of events. Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Institution; National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The City College of New York presents the James Baldwin Centennial Celebration, an homage to the enduring legacy of Harlem-bred writer and activist James Baldwin. Spanning fall 2024, the celebration will encompass film screenings, panels, performances, live music, a writing contest and a Harlem community walk centered on the legacy of James Baldwin, our hometown giant.
Born in 1924, James Baldwin's extensive body of work, which includes essays, speeches, plays, poetry, short stories, and novels, fearlessly tackles racial and social issues, offering profound insights into the Black American experience in the 20th century that continue to resonate today.
The celebration kicks off with “Our Hometown Giant Film Series.” Screenings are free but RSVP is required.
The film “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” will be shown on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in Aaron Davis Hall. The 1980s documentary explores the civil rights movement through the lens of Baldwin’s activism. CCNY English Professor Janee Moses will introduce the film.
“I Am Not Your Negro” will be shown twice on Thursday, November 21, 2024, once at 12:15 p.m. in Shepard Hall, Room 291, with an introduction by Media and Communication Arts Chair and Professor Jerry Carlson, and again at 6 p.m. in Aaron Davis Hall, as part of a double feature with “Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris” with an introduction by the festival’s director, writer and Black Studies Professor Emily Raboteau. “I Am Not Your Negro” is an examination of racism in America through the lens of Baldwin’s unfinished book “Remember This House,” directed by Raoul Peck and written by Baldwin.
A full-day symposium will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5 in the NAC Ballroom from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The CCNY President’s Medal will be awarded by President Vincent Boudreau to Baldwin, posthumously, and be accepted on behalf of the Baldwin family by his nephew Trevor Baldwin, founder of the Baldwin United Fund. The symposium includes panels of writers and scholars influenced by Baldwin, a screening of Baldwin’s 1978 Langston Hughes Medal acceptance speech at CCNY, a keynote conversation with Baldwin’s biographer Herb Boyd, live music and soul food. Register here.
A Baldwin-focused Harlem community walk on Friday, Dec. 6 departs at 10 a.m. from the New York Public Library Harlem branch at 9 W. 124th Street led by CCNY librarian William Gibbons. Register here.
Two other vibrant Baldwin festivals are happening nearby via One Book, One Bronx and the New York Public Library.
The celebration is a collaboration between The City College Center for the Arts, CCNY’s Division of Humanities and the Arts, the Black Studies Department, the MFA Program in Creative Writing, Harlem Renaissance High School, DeWitt Clinton High School, and Sisters Uptown Bookstore. It is also supported in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. The Henry Luce Foundation is the sponsor of the celebration.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Thea Klapwald
e:
tklapwald@ccny.cuny.edu