James Baldwin Take This Hammer Part 1

Originally from: http://diva.sfsu.edu/bundles/187041

KQED's mobile film unit follows author and activist James Baldwin in the spring of 1963, as he's driven around San Francisco to meet with members of the local African-American community. He is escorted by Youth For Service's Executive Director Orville Luster and intent on discovering: "The real situation of Negroes in the city, as opposed to the image San Francisco would like to present." He declares: "There is no moral distance ... between the facts of life in San Francisco and the facts of life in Birmingham. Someone's got to tell it like it is. And that's where it's at." Includes frank exchanges with local people on the street, meetings with community leaders and extended point-of-view sequences shot from a moving vehicle, featuring the Bayview and Western Addition neighborhoods. Baldwin reflects on the racial inequality that African-Americans are forced to confront and at one point tries to lift the morale of a young man by expressing his conviction that: "There will be a Negro president of this country but it will not be the country that we are sitting in now."

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• James.Baldwin
• James
• Baldwin

[Executnr]

Lupe Fiasco led me here. July 24 2011

[SonOfBaldwin]

If not for You Tube, this man's brilliance would remain buried.

[VideoWin1]

This man had faith and he had hope period, most of all he had love. Faith, hope and love but the greatest is love. Wow!! he told us America would see a black president!!

[halfofsixteen]

SO FUCKING GOOD.

[1awareness]

If only we had more people like James; willing to be the intermediate in the mist of darkness and conflicts within social justice system. His words open hearts, raises hope for a chance for possible solutions within a clear passionate, and discernment. He inspires progress vs indifference and ego centralism. "James" could bring light to any conflict.

(If their was a roster for that job. I would t love to make that list!)

shem

[TheKaffeeKlatsch]

@earinsound William F.

[earinsound]

@TheKaffeeKlatsch

Lord Buckley?

[TheKaffeeKlatsch]

Baldwin's cadence reminds me of the speech patterns of Buckley.

[vmfleming1]

CountPierreBezukhov.....whoeve­r you are, and for whatever reason you uploaded this piece on comments made by Mr. James Baldwin, THANK YOU! Mr. Baldwin has been weighing on my mind for some reason much lately, and all I feel I want to do right now is just absorb as much as I can read about him. It is icing on a dessert to actually see him speak through reels like this. Again, THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES!

[Osiekrom]

@Executnr OMG me too!

[Rgill90]

i came here after the lupe fiasco interview as well.

[Freewillday]

Lupe lead me here also