James Baldwin was an icon who advocated for issues of race, identity, and gender. Join us in celebration of 100 years of the life and legacy of this legendary Black queer, author, poet, playwright, cultural critic, and activist.
Writer James Baldwin, arguably one of America’s greatest authors, has earned a spot in the pantheon of the queer community’s biggest icons. His collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son, helped to cement his position as one of the nation’s most influential human rights activists.
Our sister site, Queerty, has incorporated the intergenerational movement, community, and social platform Native Son as a new channel, which highlights a range of voices celebrating Black gay and queer men. Named after Baldwin’s book, Native Son also commemorates its anniversary since launching on Baldwin’s birthday in 2015.
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To honor Baldwin’s birthday, GayCities has gathered a collection of murals scattered around the nation that honor the philosopher genius and his role in American history.
New York City
Arguably, the most visually stunning tribute, created by artist Rico Gatson, can be found in the Bronx at the 167th Street subway station (pictured above). One of eight mosaics that honor cultural, political, and artistic icons in the community’s history, the stunning artwork can be found on the southbound platform.
Baldwin was born at Harlem Hospital in New York City, but fled the city for Paris in his 20s after becoming disillusioned by the racial prejudice permeating the US. After a few years, he returned to New York City, lived in Istanbul sporadically for ten years, and spent his later years in southern France.
Phoenix
Located on the Ten-O-One building in the Roosevelt Arts District, this Phoenix mural of Baldwin is a whopping nine stories tall. Featuring the icon’s bust, it is surrounded by his words, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Created by Antoinette Cauley in 2020, she described it as “one of the most important projects of my career.” Inspired by the racial justice protests after the murder of George Floyd, she considered several Black civil rights icons like Martin Luther King Jr. before landing on Baldwin after remembering a Black history tour she took in Paris.
“Individuals and companies began to reach out to me (and so many other of my Black artist friends) left and right for an array of things centered around the protests. Things like (Black Lives Matter) murals, collaborations and so much more. I however was not interested in becoming anyone’s token Black artist. I didn’t want to be the reason they could capitalize on the current Black Lives Matter movement or be used to soothe their own newfound guilt. I have been fighting too hard and for too long to allow my work to be reduced down to that,” she detailed in a blog post after finishing the project.
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“During the tour, my tour guide, Kevi, asked me if I had heard of James Baldwin. I had in fact heard his name but I was not familiar with who he actually was. He proceeded to teach me about Mr. Baldwin and about his travels to Paris in the ‘40s to escape racism in America.
“I have a vibrant memory of saying to Kevi, ‘I cannot believe we were never taught about him in school. But I can believe it.’ Leaving incredibly inspired, I researched Mr. Baldwin and immediately fell in love with his passion and words. I read his books and watched countless videos of him speaking on the plight of the American Negro. I could feel his tiredness. I could relate to it. I understood the desire to run away to another country where I would feel safer and ‘free’.”
Shortly after finishing the mural, faced with the same exhaustion Baldwin felt, she moved to Berlin for a while before returning back to her hometown.
Seattle
The North Seattle College library unveiled a Baldwin mural on the building’s third floor earlier this year. Professional artist Yvonne Ferguson led the project, which was painted by students in the Mural Arts course.
“In her statement of interest in the project, Yvonne’s inspiration for the mural was a reflection of the respect, admiration and continued influence of James Baldwin’s life work and social commentary,” course instructor Kelda Martensen said. “In the mural, she combines elements of Baldwin’s life, personal triumphs, challenges, travel and gifts.”
Baldwin’s passport photo, the Istanbul landscape, a portrait of him at his Istanbul apartment, the Eiffel Tower, and Harlem brownstones feature in the mural.
San Francisco
Haitian-American artist Serge Gay Jr’s street art, “Gear Up,” features a leather jacket, red bandana, cap and Converse sneakers. The jacket is emblazoned with pins and patches, highlighting black lives, such as James Baldwin, Marsha P. Johnson, and Bayard Rustin.
“The jacket symbolizes someone gearing up and getting ready for a battle and marching on the streets in protest and to raise awareness,” Gay said. “It could be anyone; it doesn’t define gender.”
The mural is located on the side of Moby Dick, an iconic bar in San Francisco‘s Casto district.
GayCities’ sister site, Queerty, has incorporated the intergenerational movement, community, and social platform Native Son as a new channel, which highlights a range of voices celebrating Black gay and queer men. Named after Baldwin’s book, Native Son also commemorates its anniversary since launching on Baldwin’s birthday in 2015.
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