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JAMES
BALDWIN
(1924
- 1987)
WRITER–CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
First Day Cover
James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York City, in 1924. His autobiographical novel Go Tell It on the Mountain
exposed readers to American conflicts with race, homosexuality and religious bigotry. Giovanni’s Room, a novel of
two men’s love and passion for each other, published in 1956 during the McCarthy era, was a surprising success.
Like some African-Americans of his time, following the footsteps of Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson, James
fled America to more tolerant Europe. He returned to the U.S.A. to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s
campaign for racial freedom. The author died in Paris, France in 1987.
Copyright Louis Paul Hennefeld 1983
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