James Baldwinis a writer, author of novels, poetry, short stories, plays, and essays. Suffering from racism and police violence in segregationist America, he took refuge in France in 1948. He published his first works before returning to the United States in 1957. Baldwin then became involved in the civil rights movement, speaking at conferences, television programs, and rallies to try to raise public awareness. A close friend of Martin Luther King, he returned to France after his assassination.
Until his death, James Baldwin devoted himself to writing, trying to bring understanding to deeply charged political and social issues. Raoul Peck's documentary I Am Not Your Negro retraces the exceptional struggle of this great activist for the civil rights of Black people and homosexuals in the United States.
