A Dialogue

116 Pages·1973·1.068 MB·English

by  James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni

"A fascinatDiinagl ogu•em theh ighlsye nsitive
atttiudeso fA mericalit.n by thestew o most
eloqueonftp eople." -ChesteHri mes
"A revelatdoirayl oguoen beinbgl acikn A mer·
ica-asm an,w oman,a nda rti.s.t. .N ikkis,u per
coola nd funny( the' tougheksitd on the
block'r)ev,e alsh ervu lnerabilasi tya w oman.
And Baldwins,of uUo fp aina ndy earninagn d
complicatigoinvse,us s s omethinogf hisa ges­
oldw isdoma ndt oughness." -Gail Lumet
Thankst ot het elevispiroong raSmo ula! r,e ­
markableen countbeert weetnw o of Amer­
ica'fso remosbtl acwkr itewrass a ireodn pub­
licT V. Heret,h et ranscroifp tth atm eeting
betweeJna mesB aldwiann dN ikkiG iovanni
formas thoroughelnyg rossdioncgu ment.
Probinsge,a rchimnagd,e d ramatbiyc the
recognitoifo snu ddens,u btllee veolfs c on­
frontatitohneB, a ldwin/Gioveaxncnhia ngies
a freewheelicnogn versatriaonng inogv er
many topiAc sD.i aloguexep lorperso blems
facinAgm ericanbsl,a cakn dw hitea,s w ella s
troublbeess etttihnegw orld.
Representitnwgo differegnetn erations,
thet wo writedriss cussaerdg,u eda,n dc om­
municatesdo me painfutlr uthsA.dd ressing
themselvpeasr ticultaor tlhye c hangirnogl es
ofm en andw omen inm oderns ociettyh,e y
paids peciaatlt entitoont hec onsequenocfe s
these new moofdb eesh avioonr t hea lready
complerxe lationbsehtiwpe etnh eb lacmka n
andt heb lacwko man.T het aliks s timulating,
provocatidveee,p lfye ltm,a kintgh idsi alogue
ar ares,h areedx periefncoert her eader.
(Contoinbna ucflilke pd)
(Contfrionmfu reofladnp t)
IdaL ewisi,n h erm ovinga ndt houghtful
Prefacwer,i te"sJ,i mmy andN ikkair ea corn­
erstonTeh.e n extb riciksy oursY.o u canh url
ito ry ou canp uti ti np laceO.r"d eC oombs
hasc ontribuatnee dl oqueAnftt erwotrhda its
indeeodn eb ricpku ti np lace.
A Dialogue
alsob y] ameBsa ldwin
NO NAME IN THE STREET
TELL ME HOW LONG THE TRAIN'BSE EN GONE
THE FIREN EXT TIME
ANOTHER COUNTRY
NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME
GIOVANNI'RSO OM
NOTES OF A NATIVE SON
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
witMha rgaMreeadt
A RAP ON RACE
withR ichAavredd on
NOTHING PERSONAL
shostrtories
GOING TO MEET THMEAN
plays
BLUESF OR MISTER CHARLIE
THE AMEN CORNER
alsob yN ikGkiio vanni
BLACK FEELING,B LACK TALK/BLACKJ UDGEMENT
RE:C REATION
GEMINI
MY HOUSE
forc hildren
SPIN A SOFT BLACK SONG
JAMES
BALDWIN
NIKKI
GIOVANNI
A Dialogue
Forewboyr d
IDAL EWIS
Afterwobryd
ORDECOOMBS
JB.. L ippinCcoomtpta ny
PhiladeNlepwh iYao rk
•
Texct opyrigh1t9©7 b3y J ameBsa ldwiann dN iktoLmt d.
Forewo©r d1 97b3y I daL ewis
Mterwor©d 197b3y O rdeC oombs
Allr ighrtess erved
Firsetd ition
Printine dt heU niteSdt atoefsA merica
U.SL.i braozyf C ongresCsa taloginignP ublicaDtiaotna
BaldwinJ,am es,b irtdhat e
A dialogue.
Developferdo mt het ranscroifpa tc onversattiaopne,fd o r
the televisiporong ram" Soul,an"d firssth owni nt heU niteSdt ates
onW NET-TVD,e c.1 971.
1. Negroes-Psych2o.lU onigyt.e dS tates-Raqcuee stion.
3.B aldwinJ,a mesb,i rthd ate4.. G iovanNnikik,i .I .G iovanni,
Nikki,j oianutt hoIrI.T. i tle.
E185.625.B34 301.45'19'60737 3-4388
ISBN� 97-{)0916-X
ISBN� 97-{)0948--8 (pbk.)
Foreword
by
IDA LEWIS
MortoPne,n nsylvmayn ihao,m etowinsa, litthlaem let
tuckebde neaPthhi ladelIpr heimae.m btehre s nowosn e
yearw henI wass eveonr e ighIt a.w okteo t hes ilent
whitweo rlldo,o kifnrgo mmy windoawt d awnw itthh e
fulanld wondedkunlo wledtgheaI t w asi nl oveL.a ter
thadta ya ts choIo clo ulcdo ntaiitnn o l ongeIr w.r ote
him ana nonymonuost e":D annIyl ,o vyeo u."
Dannyi,ts eemetdo m e thenw,a st hem ostb eautiful
boyin thew orlhde;c ouladc complainsyht hiHnegw .a s
HopaloCnagss idyG,e neA utrayn dT arzaanl wlr apped
upi no neH.e wast heS hadoww,h okn ew everything
despihtiesm eree ighytea rsH.e musth avken ownt hat
Il ovehidm .P erhahpesl ovemde t oo.
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Howl ontgh ilso vlea stIec da nr'eta lrleym embebru,t
onchea vinbge guni,ts eemetdo p ersfiosrte vIe urs.e d
tod oh ish omeworfko rh imP.l afyo otbaanldlb aseball
witthh eb oy.s ..j ustto b ei nhis companyI.' ds iint
my favortirteeine my backyaarnddd reaomf t hel ong
excittirnigap rso untdh ew orlwde woultda kteo gether.
Them ountatihnasDt a nncyl imbine mdy d reampsi erced
theh ighesskti eTsh.e w arsh ef oughsti ngle-handedlyl
Thea wardhsew on!D annwya st hew orldd'asr lianngd
mosotf a lhle w asa na rdent deoffem nyhd oenro r.
Yearpsa ssbeyd;c hildhofoadd eadw ayC.i rcumstances
separatmeedf rommy childhlooovdIe tr .a veleDda;n ny
remainIe wde.n to nt oh ighleer arning;D annys lipped
by thew aysidNee.w sa bouDta nnyr eachmeyd ears
frotmi mteo t ime." Danngyo tm arriaenddb eathsi wsi fe
unmercifutlhleyys, a"i d",a ndh e can'kte epa job."
"Danniys n ott heh andsoymoeu nmga ny ouu sedt o
know."" You'bells hockwehde ny ous eeh im.""I dad,i d
youh eaDra nnyi sa na lcohoHlei turnce?d outt ob ea
no-gomoadn ..". .T heys aid.
"IdLae wisi,st hayto u?A" familivaori chea rdened
bya thousayneda rcsa lloeudt t om e.' 'Ikn'odw you
anywhearney,t i.m.e. Y.o uh avenc'hta ngae bdi tD.o n't
your ecognmiez?e" H e waso ldt,h ina ndb onyH.i s
once-smobortohws nk iwna sw eathebryee dx cessliivve­
ingHis. watereyy ebsl inked teHaer tdrriotepodss .t and
ereacntd j erkheidhs e aadn dp uto uthis handI.r eached
outh;i sm oishtan dsc lutchmeinde .H e movedhis lips
toa ccommodattheec igarbeuttttteh ahtu ggehisd mouth.
Is toosdtil la,f ratiodc hangmey smillee sIt r evetahle
weakf eelitnhgah ta do verwhelmmeed. I wishedt hat
6
I coultdhi nm yseltfoa shado"wO.f c oursDea,n nyI,
recognyizoeuH .o wc oulIdf orget?"
"Aftalelrth esey earist,'g so odt os eey ou,h"e s aid.
"Youl oogko odI.' vhee aradb outhte greatth inygosu 've
beend oingA.l wayknse w as ac hild thaty ouw ere
somebosdpye cial."
"Ia lwatyhso ugthhatty ouw erseo mebody special too,"
Is ai"dI.h ada c rusohny ouf oarl ontigm e."
"Yeahh,e"s aid. "Thinghsa vwturneoe udl do utd ifefr­
entlfyo rm e if I hadh ookeudp w ithy ouY.o uc ould
havhee lpmeedk eempy setlofg ether."
'Wew oulhda veh adt ok eeepa cohth ert ogetheIr ,"
said.
"Keeypo ut ogetherp-oismsibhlees ,a"i "dL.a dileisk e
youd on'nte edn obodtyo k eethpe m togethAenrd.th e
blacwko man. ..s hed oesnn'ete adn ybody."
"Everybnoedeyd sso mebodeyv,e tnh eb lacwko man,"
Is aildi kae m ediocre philosopher.
I sometimewso ndehro wth e gapb etweethne black
man and the blacwko mang rews ov astW.e wereb oth
ont hes hipisnt, h efi eldast,th e whippinpgo stsstr,u g­
glinignth e citIfy .i tn'ost d ignifled top usha garment
caritt,'c esr tainnoltdy i gnifietdos cruflbo oarf tfleoro r
ins omebodeyl seh'osu seAm.e rica appeatrosh ave
workead c hemiccahla ngoen b otho fu s.O nep iecoef
litmaubss orbtihnega cidt,h eo thepri ecteh rowiintg
off.Y etb oth hbaeveetn r ibeydfi re.
How can theb lacmka nv iewth e blacwko manas
anythiontgh ethra nh irsi bH?o w lonwgi liltt akues t o
realizeth atp aihnu rtlso,n eliisn elsosn elfye,arb egets
fearH?o w muchf urthedro wn the roamdu stw eg ob e-
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