Joyce Kamdem (Current student, MFA Creative Writing)

On December 5, 2024 I walked into the NAC Ballroom twenty minutes late for the start of the CCNY James Baldwin Centennial Celebration symposium. Regardless, I was still greeted by friendly smiles and a festive ambiance. The day-long event was a joyous display of diversity and black empowerment, and the capstone event of CCNY semester-long celebration of Baldwin and his work. A captivating poster of Baldwin was displayed in the ballroom as a keystone of African American achievement, making me feel revitalized as an aspiring black author and researcher. This event featured the “Remembering Baldwin” keynote panel by James Baldwin’s nephew, Trevor Baldwin, and Dr. Herb Boyd—a former professor of Black Studies at City College, and biographer of James Baldwin. Dr. Boyd’s recollection—for example—of walking through Harlem while James Baldwin was tipsy from an event many decades ago immersed me in scenes that revealed depths of Baldwin’s character and personality I have never read or heard. The enthralled crowd was hooked on each word, cameras flashing from various corners of the isle. I stayed grinning in acknowledgement that this was a historic moment.
During the panel Trevor Baldwin commented that he “knew ‘Uncle Jimmy’ was famous but to him he was just ‘Uncle Jimmy.’ ” Trevor went on to explain how the media and historical accounts of Baldwin—displaying him as a controversial and unapproachable intellectual–was not the personable and friendly James Baldwin that he grew up knowing. At this I began to deeply appreciate the event, because here we were not just celebrating the writer of Giovanni's Room—we were celebrating all he did to propel his family, and equity in America. As Trevor and Dr. Boyd spoke of their impactful stories with James Baldwin, the passion in their voices and pride in their bodies made me feel the fact that this event was a part of an international celebration of James Baldwin’s centennial; this symposium was one of many similar gatherings taking place across the world.
When the panel neared the end I looked around and realized that this was the most diverse demographic of people I have seen in an audience. In front of me was my professor, a Jamaican immigrant. Behind me I could pick out a group in their early twenties, some that grew up in Harlem and others who only knew the recently gentrified areas. The group to my right were a mix of north and south Asians, some in the traditional attire of their respective countries. And spread amongst the crowd were native African groups, some I could faintly recognize from west Africa—my home. All those in attendance, as diverse as we were, had expressions of gratitude that could be felt through the atmosphere. As the clapping settled, Ahlanna Williams, a student from DeWitt Clinton High School, the same school James Baldwin attended, stepped up to the podium to read "A Letter to My Nephew" by James Baldwin. Her clear and confident reading of the excerpt led me to further appreciate the exceptional writing of James Baldwin, crossing generational and intellectual boundaries.
After the reading, an ensemble from the CCNY Music Department’s jazz program played a few tunes. The music rhythmically flowed through the room, with bobbing heads and swaying bodies. During the last notes of the enthralling beats I reflected back on the panel at the start of the event. Sitting in a room where James Baldwin’s nephew spoke about him through personal anecdotes, his biographer discussed working with him in Harlem, and a young student that went to the high school he graduated from recited one of his essays filled me with a surprising sense of pride.
After the James Baldwin Centennial Celebration symposium I listened to James Baldwin’s Pin Drop speech, as well as his essay, "Notes of a Native Son" and short story, "Sonny’s Blues," and was emboldened to continue writing a personal piece of mine that had been emotionally draining. Hearing how words can uplift a community and mobilize groups revitalized my hope of inspiring change through literature. For all who were there it was a time of love and support that we will never forget, for all who were not I hope my words here inspire you to check out the recording of the event that will be televised by the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Stay tuned, we'll announce the details in an upcoming newsletter.