James Arthur Baldwin was born in New York City on August 2, 1924. He was an American essayist, writer, and dramatist who rose to popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States and, subsequently, throughout most of western Europe, due to his eloquence and enthusiasm for the subject of race in America.

In this Anniversary Memorial to celebrate one of America's Legends, author Derek Kali gives a brief biography.