A Series of Interviews With
Myles Hubbard • Roger Wallace • Rose Sackey-Milligan • Dee Shabazz
Curated by Allen Davis and Tom Weiner
Introduction
In 1961, the writer and activist James Baldwin said this about the Black experience in America:
“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time — and in one’s work. And part of the rage is this: It isn’t only what is happening to you. But it’s what’s happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference, indifference of most white people in this country, and their ignorance.”
When Baldwin spoke, he was naming a state of being that white Americans generally did not comprehend, because few Black people were articulating their emotional life to whites—out of fear, out of knowing they would most likely be misunderstood, and out of centuries of inter-generational trauma that prevented trust.
We felt it was time to revisit Baldwin’s words. We sought a response from four Black Americans who live near us in the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut, who grew up when Baldwin’s ideas were gaining currency: Myles Hubbard, who came of age in the 1950s; Roger Wallace, for whom 60’s was the backdrop; Rose Sackey-Milligan, who graduated high school in 1970; and Dee Shabazz one who graduated in 1985. We wanted to learn how these Black Americans of different generations feel today about Baldwin’s views. We did not aim to present a cross-section of Black American opinion, but rather to hear the insights of our neighbors in New England. To accomplish this, we conducted interviews guided by these questions:
“How does your life experience reflect what James Baldwin was expressing?” “Has America changed so that if Baldwin were with us today, he would feel differently?” “Do you have hope for this country?”
We believe these interviews clarify the value and power of Baldwin’s words in 2024.
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Photo credit: S. Vollebregt, Dutch National Archives.