The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (September 2018)
The Fire Next Time was written in 1963 for the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It closely examines the history of race relations in the USA and indirectly outlines the feeling underlying the burgeoning civil rights movement.
The clearest idea that emerges from Baldwin’s writing is the way he identifies inertia as one of racism’s ongoing enablers. He makes this point in many ways throughout the work. At a societal level, he notes that the biggest obstacle to large-scale change is the sloth of those who benefit by maintaining the status quo. This can come in the form of voters refusing to pass (or bolster) laws that are strong enough to overcome built-in discrimination or by organizations failing to protect individuals whose commitment to social causes leaves them exposed to risk or danger. He clearly sees strong individuals as vital to the process of overcoming widespread racism, noting that people who trust their own reactions can accept and carry the burdens of reality, but laments the various ways social norms pressure individuals to adhere to outside standards rather than an internal sense of right or wrong. He observes that civilizations fall apart not due to the wicked but because of the spineless; playing with those words, I wonder if a strong civilization means a place where people help each other find their spines and stand straight-backed against the legacy of injustice.
On a bit of a side note, I read an edition of this book that came with a section called ‘Connections’. This portion collected various thoughts about Baldwin or The Fire Next Time from various writers. Although I appreciated the expanded perspective resulting from this idea, the thing I will always remember about it is how much the quality of writing in the ‘Connections’ paled in comparison to Baldwin’s prose.
Book notes here.
