James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924. He was a writer (of novels, plays, poems, and essays) and an activist. His works include the novels Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953) and If Beale Street Could Talk (1974), as well as the book-length essay The Fire Next Time (1963).

His civil rights activism includes going on a lecture tour in the U.S. South in 1963 for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He also appeared at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that year. Fun fact: Baldwin became friends with actor Marlon Brando in 1944, and they were roommates for a while.

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