Introduction
“The Fire Next Time” is a book written by James Baldwin. It is a collection of two essays “Down at The Cross: Letter from a Region of My Mind” and “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation”. The first letter discusses the issues between religion and race, particularly on Baldwin’s involvements in the Christian church in his youth. It expounds on other religious factions’ ideas such as Islam in the Harlem. The second letter discusses the dominant role played by ethnicity in American history (Baldwin 12).
The two essays examine the tense relations between the blacks and the whites in the early 1960s America. He refers to this as the “Negro problem”. “Negro” is a term used in the book to refer to African-American. It was actually the dominant term used at the time. It is used interchangeably, in his book, with the word “black”. The book further explores the extent of influence and effectiveness of religious faiths, and their implication on future generations. In this paper, the importance of understanding historical interracial relations is deemed important as a step towards addressing future problems in a society.
Analysis: Race Relations in Early 1960s America
Race relations are a major discussion in Baldwin’s book. In the late 1960s, the Emancipation Proclamation had apparently given the African-American their liberty. The condition in the early 1960s was not hopeful; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were yet to be actualized.
In the book, Baldwin indicates an extensive dominance of the white over the blacks. When addressing his nephew, he points out that plenty of the problems the blacks were facing were well familiar with the youth, and the government. This was an era of acknowledgement of the ever present tension between a fighting black community and a continuing dominant white community (Baldwin 34).
In his revelations as a Christian minister during his teenage hood, he considers all the difficulties faced to not be a reason for despair. Racism in its intensity feels more of a self-hatred. Interestingly, the manipulative nature of the higher class and the ruling class would fill them with a sense of guilt, which would then project itself as a discrimination to the minorities. This distorted view of humanity was especially affected by the blacks themselves.
The church is depicted as a safe haven for the black youth at the time. When Baldwin joins Christianity to be a Christian minister, he is motivated by using it as an escape route from the streets. Apparently, there were many dangers in the street. There were many hustlers and drug dealers; gun battles and street fights had become a significant part of street dominance. By becoming a minister, his position provided him a shield against the influences of the streets and kept him away from his ever disturbing and judgmental father (Baldwin 42).
The religion of the day is depicted as a game or gimmick used by the races of the day. He considered Christianity and Islam a fighting front for ideologies that had nowhere to be taken. Those ideologies stood no ground at the White dominated governance period. The ideals of the church had been just a joke, whether at the white’s catholic churches or the upcoming black Christian churches, as they failed to live up to those ideals, and even after some of the ideas were enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
According to Baldwin, there was little to no justice for blacks. In the book, Baldwin consistently refrains from campaigning for any militant approach; tactics and strategies, mostly advocated by the likes of Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X. According to him, the solution was not to have two distinct countries; one white and one black, but for America to unite as one in justice. Then it is entirely clear that, there was a point in history that America would have split into two separate countries, if the separatist’s positions would have been maintained. While Baldwin admits that unity would be almost impossible to achieve, especially with the European slave trade, he acknowledges that these were the times for insisting on the impossible to be actualized.
The book constantly emphasizes the times as a period where an anticipated struggle was imminent. It constantly reflects on the period as a time when the Black society was ganging up to a major revolution. He anxiously anticipates a “fire next time”. White dominance meant that there was little justice to the black man and very few opportunities for the blacks in the new world. The new world was a vibrant economic driven world. To participate, one needed a proper education and access to opportunities in the modern industries; this would lead to getting out of poverty. Resultantly, this meant that most black families were impoverished.
Anyone reading the book would be taken up by Baldwin’s drive of hope for a United America. This also indicates that regardless of the tensions in existence, the African-American society was still hopeful for a brighter future; whether the future was united with the whites or not. The continuation of struggle would be the spirit of the time, and Baldwin adopts a more conglomerate future based on his personality and personal beliefs as a Christian.
Conclusion
Baldwin’s descriptions in his books, can be summarized as the continuous disillusionment of his beliefs in the day’s church. He explains how that disillusionment broadened and deepened as he grew older. He slowly realizes and visions the church’s hypocrisies and how they affected American life. At some point, he actually denounces Christian teachings.
The book portrays the Negro Problem as a self-misleading restraint to the Christian. All these issues are discussed not only in terms of white Americans, but also African Americans “Negroes”. Baldwin insists that the Negroes were as much blinded to their beliefs and truths, as the white man of his vision and dreams of conquering.
While reading the book, one notices that the author suggests that the only way to deal with the Negro Problem in a broad-spectrum, and its manifestations, is for both the white Americans and the Black Americans to surpass the perceptions and misleading ideas they hold, including beliefs, and fears. He proposes that America, being both a country and an idea, has been handicapped by the narrow thinking that existed in the day. It was only by intensifying perceptions and understanding, on both groups; whites and blacks, that America and its people can be fulfilled and privileged in the way they deserve. The book is an eye opener for any individuals who are willing to read and understand the strong message being put across. It gets into the core issues of the time and opens up thoughts and provides vivid pictures of what the times might have been.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. New York: The Dial Press, 1963. Print.