The Reverend David Baldwin was sick of his stepson James when he stepped down from the pulpit. He hated that the boy was so naturally charismatic that he could cause the Church to levitate with his sermons even though he doubted the church. He hated that the 17 year-old would sneak off to the Schomburg Library when he was supposed to be at bible study. He hated that he was too effeminate, too intellectual, too literary, and above all, too agnostic. In 1941, after James delivered what would be his last sermon at the Fireside Pentecostal Church in Harlem, David took him aside and stated the undeniable truth: “You’d rather write than preach, wouldn’t you?”

This was the moment when the world was given the gift of James Baldwin, one of the greatest writers of our time. August 2nd will be his 100th birthday.  

James Baldwin was more than a civil rights activist. He was a Black, gay, atheist, who was defiantly proud at a time when he was supposed to be ashamed of all these attributes. Everything that the world hated about James Baldwin was what he loved and honored most about himself. He was a fierce proponent of radical authenticity. He challenged us to think carefully about the seat that was saved for us in society. He illustrated the architecture of injustice that was embedded in the institutions that govern our lives. And he exemplified a powerful Truth: confrontation is an act of loving empowerment - not war. 

No writer impacted my entrepreneur life more than James Baldwin. I’ve never known a successful entrepreneur who wasn’t able to act on their contrarian beliefs - even when others thought they were insane. I’ve never known a corporate executive who creates a massive transformation without radical candor about what’s broken in a bloated, complacent institution.

I first read Baldwin in college, and it settled into the bedrock of my brain. Throughout my career Baldwin’s voice would emerge from within at the exact right moment and say, “this isn’t who you are.” When I experienced success as an entrepreneur I soon discovered that I was expected to blend into the Y Combinator/ Adam Neumann / hustle culture fraternity of startup founders and VCs. I re-read Baldwin’s masterpiece “The Fire Next Time” and became deeply aware of the trap I was walking into. When I entered corporate executive leadership I was expected to be fulfilled by golf, and charity galas with Tony Blair and Mike Bloomberg. I was supposed to earn my stripes through late night sessions tweaking the font of a PowerPoint deck with McKinsey consultants. I found myself in situations in which I could accumulate money, power, and influence if only I suppressed my true Punk identity and allowed an institution to colonize my true self. In those moments the voice of James Baldwin emerged from within and said, “this isn’t you.”

Baldwin was a constant reminder that success which forces you to suffocate your authentic self is failure. That conflict is a positive sign that you’re making people uncomfortable who preside over systems which are broken and complacent. That Punk is an act of love - not war.

James Baldwin is the voice that encourages us to live in the power of our own truth - even if it’s scary or unpopular.

Here are a few passages from Baldwin that I hope inspire you as much as they inspire me:

Be wary of the seat that was saved for you

A recurring theme in Baldwin’s work is the  systemic injustice of institutions. America, the church, the economy, the ghetto all had reserved a ‘place’ for a Black, gay man like him. And he refused to accept it. His writing revealed the scaffolding of these institutions. He writes about it in his 1963 masterpiece “The Fire Next Time:” 

“I was icily determined, more determined, really, than I then knew — never to make my peace with the ghetto but to die and go to Hell before I would accept my “place” in this republic. I did not intend to allow the white people of this country to tell me who I was, and limit me that way.” 

- James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

Your outcome is your intent

Baldwin held individuals accountable for the injustice of the institutions they were part of. Even if they didn’t have the power, awareness, or authority to alter the direction of the institution. This was vividly illustrated in a debate with Paul Weiss, a Yale philosophy professor on the Dick Cavett Show, which was captured in the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro.” When Weiss argued that systemic racism was not an actual constraint in America, Baldwin responded:

“I don’t know what most white people in this country feel, but I can only conclude what they feel from the state of their institutions. I don’t know if real estate lobbyists hate black people, but I know they keep me in the ghetto. I don’t know if union bosses hate me, but I know I’m not in their unions. I don’t know if the Board of Education hates black people but I know the schools they make our kids go to are worse than white schools…. Now do you want me to make an act of faith, based on some idealism which you assure me exists in America which I have never seen, that there is equal opportunity in America?”

- James Baldwin on The Dick Cavett Show

Speaking Truth to power Is An Act Of Love - Not War

Baldwin understood that Innovation and reinvention are a product of urgency and awakening. When people push a system out of its comfort zone it is an act of love, not war. The great disservice is staying quiet and deferential. 

“I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. I think all theories are suspect, that the finest principles may have to be modified, or may even be pulverized by the demands of life”

- James Badlwin, Notes Of A Native Son

Rest in Power, James Baldwin. We miss you. 

James Baldwin Would Love Tanisha Robinson. 

Join us in NYC for a conversation with Tanisha (T) Robinson former CEO of Brewdog USA, COO of Gotham, a gay, Black, ex-Mormon, Army veteran, who studied Arabic in Syria on March 5th from 6-8pm in NYC. Space is limited to 60. James Baldwin would love her - so do I. RSVP here