As we celebrate the centennial birth of James “Jimmy” Baldwin, our Great Bard of Harlem, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is excited to host a two-day convening, How To Build A Fire, October 4-5, 2024, in collaboration with the Institute for Research in African American Studies and Department of African and African Diaspora Studies, Columbia University.

We gather not only in response to a world in turmoil (again), but also to invite and engage conversations about being ourselves, doing our work, and lighting our own fires this time/in our own time. Rather than building and burnishing an unusable icon, How To Build A Fire lovingly and critically reflects on the blackprints James Baldwin wrote for his time, toward building and making our own interventions in the present. A stellar group of scholars, organizers, and creatives joining us include Prentice Hemphill, Bettina Love, PhD, Derrais Carter, PhD, Marsha Jean-Charles, PhD, Dante Stewart, Farah Jasmine Griffin, PhD, Darnell Moore, and more.

GET THE BOOK

Copies of books by our participants will be available for purchase from the Schomburg Shop in Harlem and we'll have book signings throughout the day. We will also giveaway several titles by James Baldwin. The giveaway is limited to one book per patron and will run while supplies last.

ON VIEW

JIMMY! God's Black Revolutionary Mouth

Through February 28, 2025 | Schomburg Center, Main Exhibition Hall

In his eulogy for James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka referred to him as “God’s black revolutionary mouth,” invoking Baldwin's enduring legacy of radical truth-telling. On public display for the first time, the Schomburg Center proudly presents selections from Baldwin’s archive of personal papers that highlight his literary career and legacy from childhood to death. These items are presented along with other Schomburg materials that illuminate the passion, brilliance, and courageous spirit of James “Jimmy” Baldwin.

Visit the exhibition

Listen to the exhibition audio guide, hosted by Meshell Ndegeocello, on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app—or online!