I was blessed to meet James Baldwin, who was introduced to me by my mentor Tom Dent. Years before, in the mid-sixties when I was in high school, James Baldwin was the second of my triumvirate of literary heroes. First was Langston Hughes and third was LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka).

(From left) Kalamu ya Salaam and Tom Dent and others meeting with James Baldwin at Dent’s apartment in New Orleans.

Over the years, I met, talked with, and became a friend of James Baldwin, who often visited New Orleans. Eventually, an essay I wrote was published and subsequently used in the liner notes for the CD-release of A Lover’s Question, Pierre Van Dermal and David Linx’s European release of Baldwin’s music and spoken word album.

No surprise that I am smitten by Eddie Glaude’s discussion of his new book–Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own. In a short NPR interview, Claude explains why James Baldwin remains significant as a witness and writer who spoke to the world about African American conditions and culture.