Why Must You Always Concentrate On Color?

A must listen answer from James Baldwin on his 100th birthday

Has anyone ever asked you this question: “Why must you always concentrate on color?”

James Baldwin b. August 2, 1924

Today would’ve been James Baldwin’s 100th birthday. And while you may not yet know it, his answer to this critical and important question—posed by a white Yale professor no less—is exactly the answer you were looking for. As a young law student, Baldwin’s writings on social, racial, and economic justice were a transformative experience to my development and growth as a lawyer. His work helped inspire my desire to delve into human rights law.

James Baldwin passed away in 1987. But nearly four decades later, his wisdom resonates as powerfully today as it did during his lifetime. Take a listen to his answer, and share it with someone in your network who might benefit from Baldwin’s sage advice. Let’s Address This.

The first time I listened to this clip, I marveled when Baldwin asks and answers, “Do the labor unions hate me? I don’t know. That doesn’t matter.” That part, “that doesn’t matter,” rang loudly. Baldwin beautifully speaks to the need to look past individual words or intentions, and instead recognize collective and systemic injustices that uphold systems of white supremacy. Collection action speaks louder than individual words.

As we now see virulent attacks on Kamala Harris for her identity as a Black woman and as an Indian woman, spikes in anti-Muslim and antisemitic hate crimes, and rises in anti-Black violence, particularly from white supremacists—Baldwin’s wisdom is more critical than ever before.

Therefore, it is up to us to work together—brown, Black, Latino, white, and Indigenous—to dismantle the systems of white supremacy that continue to plague our nation. Doing so requires recognition of the injustices that exist today, taking meaningful action to undo this injustices, and building better systems ensuring meaningful equal economic, social, and racial justice for all people in this country.

That’s the vision James Baldwin had for our nation, and on his 100th birthday, the work continues. Thank you all for being in this fight for justice with me.

Why Your Support Matters: Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of future we want. Help me create a future more committed to justice and universal human rights. Subscribe, and I welcome your thoughts, feedback, and insights. Thank you.