James Baldwin & William F. Buckley debate Race in 1965

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The legendary debate that laid down US political lines on race, justice and history
In 1965 at the University of Cambridge, two of the foremost American intellectuals were challenged with the question: ‘Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro?’ From William F Buckley’s highly stylised posturing and pointing, to James Baldwin’s melodious rhetorical flourishes and memorable scowls, what’s become known as the ‘Baldwin-Buckley Debate’ now stands as one of the archetypal articulations of the dividing line between US progressives and conservatives on questions of race, justice and history. Baldwin, the famed African-American writer, whose reputation as a progressive social critic and visionary Civil Rights activist has only risen in the intervening decades, argues that the very foundation of US society is built on the dehumanisation of its African-American population. Meanwhile, Buckley, the leading US conservative intellectual of the period, argues that African Americans would be best served by exploiting their country’s many freedoms and opportunities, rather than pointing a collective finger at discriminatory structures and institutions. In both cases, their positions presage contemporary divisive debates in the US, though one wonders whether such an event could happen in today’s political environment.

 

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"It is quite a shock to learn at age 6 that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, has not pledged allegiance to you"

 

[Asante]

The most tragic thing about watching these old black activist.....is that WE ARE STILL TALKING AND DEBATING THE SAME shyt HALF A CENTURY LATER. Like what kind of Hellish universal cycle is this.