Dr. Eddie Glaude talks with community members about James Baldwin's relevance for today.
Join us for an online discussion with Dr. Eddie Glaude, author of the recently-released "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own." Revered as one of the most influential writers of his generation, James Baldwin addressed major social and political issues of the day in his works, which include numerous novels, essays, short stories, and poetry. Dr Glaude says that “Baldwin’s vision requires a confrontation with our history (with slavery, Jim Crow segregation, with whiteness) to overcome its hold on us. Not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew.”
Dr. Glaude will be joined in this conversation by community members Evelyn Reynolds, Erik McDuffie, Sarah Christensen, and Kofi Bazzell-Smith.
Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is the chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University who has written several best-selling books on the complex American experience. He is a scholar who takes care to engage fellow citizens of all ages and backgrounds about the course of the nation – from young activists, to fellow academics, journalists and commentators, and followers on Twitter. His most recent book, "Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own," was released on June 30, 2020.
You must register in advance for this Zoom program here.
This program is cosponsored by The Urbana Free Library and READ (a collaboration between Champaign-Urbana area public and academic librarians that seeks to promote racial literacy and discussion, and to encourage anti-racist activism and self-reflection). Additional support from Parkland College Library, the Mahomet Public Library, the Rantoul Public Library, the International and Area Studies Library of the University of Illinois, the St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Public Library, and the Danville Public Library.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.