During the early to middle part of the twentieth century, many African American artists left the United States for France, and specifically Paris. They arrived, in many ways, as refugees and exiles, escaping the racial violence in the United States. Some came with rose-colored glasses, seeing France's motto of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité as a welcome sign, and in fact, they did experience—some, certainly more than in the US—liberty, equality, and fraternity. Artists such as Josephine Baker experienced this, and in fact, she became, in 2021, the first Black woman and first American-born individual to be enshrined in the Panthéon. However, many, such as William Gardner Smith and James Baldwin, also saw the inequalities in France, notably the disparate treatment they received as "civilized" African Americans in relation to the mistreatment of individuals from France's colonies such as Algeria and Senegal.
This book club, which will take place over three meetings this fall, will explore the ways that the writers mentioned above experienced France and what they learned from their experiences in Paris and beyond. The book club will consist of short walking tours, a brief introduction by Matthew Teutsch for each text, and discussion at places to be determined. We will read the following, in this order.
William Gardner Smith The Stone Face (September 15—2 pm in front of Les Editeurs)
James Baldwin No Name in the Street (October 15—3 pm Top floor in Les Editeurs)
Josephine Baker Fearless and Free: A Memoir (November 11—2 pm; location to be determined)
Book 2: No Name in the Street — James Baldwin
James Baldwin’s No Name in the Street is a deeply personal work of memoir and political reflection in which Baldwin looks back on the experiences that shaped his understanding of race, violence, and American life. Moving from his Harlem childhood to his years in Europe, Hollywood, and the American South, he reflects on the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and on the political upheavals of the 1960s. Combining autobiography with social criticism, the book is both an intimate record of grief and a powerful meditation on racism, history, and the struggle for justice.
Registration will open the day after the previous meeting.