New exhibit celebrates Harlem literary icon James Baldwin

NEW YORK -- James Baldwin, one of Harlem's most legendary literary icons, would have turned 100 on Friday. In celebration, the New York Public Library unveiled new exhibits honoring Baldwin's legacy.

A line stretched outside the Schomburg Center, as eager readers waited for their first glimpse of "Jimmy! God's Black Revolutionary Mouth." The display features items from the archive, never before presented to the public.

"I think it's just so incredible to see the work of this young person and knowing what he's destined for in the future," said Barrye Brown, the Schomburg Center's curator of manuscripts, archives and rare books.

The library had a major influence on Baldwin's life

Born right across the street at Harlem Hospital, Baldwin visited the 135th Street library several times a week.

"His early intellectual life was really shaped by his relationship with the New York Public Library," said Charles Cuykendall Carter, who curated an auxiliary exhibit "Mountain To Fire" at the main branch on 42nd Street.

Visitors can now see "Baldy" in his high school yearbook, decipher doodles alongside his practice autographs and hear his passionate pleas for racial equality. Interactive panels allow guests to take an even deeper dive into Baldwin's life, exploring photos and other memories that could not fit into the space.

"Just courageous, raw truth from the heavens"

Activist rapper Che "Rhymefest" Smith engaged the crowd in a conversation about his new album, transforming a recording of a conversation between Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni into a series of songs, in an effort to inspire listeners in the same way the bard spoke to him.

"He did it in just courageous, raw truth from the heavens," Smith said. "I take that truth and translate it into rhyme."

Fans can further peruse his provocative stories of forbidden love and discovery from his decade living in Paris in a collection now housed inside Treasures at the NYPL Schwarzman building on 42nd Street.

"This is the page of his manuscript where he's walking by the building in which we are standing right now," Carter pointed out.

In celebrating this centennial milestone, curators captured the impactful imprint of a brilliant mind.

The exhibit at the 42nd Street library will remain open to the public for the next year, and you can visit the Schomburg Center's display through next February.

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