On Black History, Book Banning, and the Wisdom of James Baldwin

One of the first things that we can do to mend ourselves and our nation is to look beyond history to the other humanities—to art, music, and literature.

James Baldwin on the Albert Memorial, London, 1969 (photo by Allan Warren)

By Michael Judge

Americans, now in the midst of Black History Month, are so divided it’s nearly impossible for us to agree on what the more than 400-year African-American experience tells us about the present, and how we, collectively—no matter our “race, color, or creed”—arrived here. Is it possible for us to mend these divisions? How can we do so, if we can’t even agree on our history?

One of the fundamental goals of TFP is to break down the barriers that prevent one group of people from understanding another. History is one way, however imperfect, to understand our past so that we can at least attempt to build “a more perfect union,” to borrow Lincoln’s phrase. Last March, in one of TFP’s most read essays, “Fulfilling the Promise of America,” Harvard historian and bestselling author Tiya Miles said something similar: “Studying history will not shield us from error; neither does turning a blind eye make history’…