
“I am not a nigger. I am a man. If you think that I am a nigger, it means you need it. And you have got to find out why. The future of our country depends on that.”
~ James Baldwin
It is the title of a documentary slated to be released on February 3 and is based on the incomparable James Baldwin’s unfinished novel Remember This House. To be sure, it is his commentary on race and if ever we needed his words, it is now. I Am Not Your Negro is an examination identity, belonging and membership that does not bat an eye or blush. James Baldwin gives the name back to the persons it belongs to. “I know you are but (who) am I.”
I hope that you had the opportunity to see this incredible film. I have not always been a Baldwin fan, but that was before I knew what he stood for and heard his voice. If this film doesn’t touch you, then you have probably led a very sheltered and privileged life. When we stop feeling empathy for our fellow man, we begin to lose our own humanity.