P.S. James Baldwin's Debate Notes

"The American Dream [^at the expense of] And the American Negro"

James Baldwin was an electric public speaker. He had a way with words on and off the page. Among my favorites is Baldwin’s speech in the Cambridge debate of 1965. I marvel at his finesse, his confidence, the precision of his language, the way he modulates his voice. And don’t get me started on his brilliant rhetoric: how he invites the mostly White audience into the mindset of a Black person by using the 2nd-person (you); and how he repeats phrases as a preacher might, building the audience’s emotional response. And then, at the very end, Baldwin walks back to his seat, sits down, and looks up, amazed to find the audience still giving him a standing ovation.¹

The notes Baldwin took out of his breast-pocket at the beginning of this speech have always fascinated me. What do they contain that Baldwin had little need of looking at them, but that he felt he should bring them to the lectern to place just under his glass of water?

That’s the subject of this postscript. Join me as I explore the notes Baldwin brought with him to the lectern during his epic speech of 1965.

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