The James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center and One Book One Bronx present a series of conversations intended to draw participants from the neighborhood to collectively share experiences, build a deeper understanding of "community," and express perspectives through reading, art, and music.

The forum starts on Sunday, March 5, 2022, 4-6pm, with an in-person screening of Strange Fruit followed by a Q&A and Communal Forum along with Director Joel Katz, Facilitator Carole Weinstein, and JBOLC Director Ray Pultinas. After the screening, 20 copies of James Baldwin's classic novel Another Country and 20 printed copies of James Baldwin's essay “Nothing Personal” will be distributed and participants are invited to join us for weekly virtual discussions of the book.

The weekly Communal Forum will explore James Baldwin's Another Country, “Nothing Personal,” and the film Strange Fruit.

Strange Fruit directed by Joel Katz: This compelling history of the anti-lynching song explores the alliance between American Jews and African Americans in the struggle for civil rights.

Another Country by James Baldwin: Stunning for its emotional intensity and haunting sensuality, this "brilliantly and fiercely told" book (The New York Times) depicts men and women, blacks and whites, stripped of their masks of gender and race by love and hatred at the most elemental and sublime.

“Nothing Personal,” an essay by James Baldwin. His critique of American society at the height of the civil rights movement brings Baldwin's prescient thoughts on social isolation, race, and police brutality to a new generation of readers.

March 5, 4-6pm: Screening of Strange Fruit followed by initial Communal Forum in Vladeck Hall, 74 Van Cortlandt Park South, Bronx - In-person Discussion
March 10, 7pm: Book One pages 1-179. Discussion hosted on Zoom.
March 17, 7pm: Book Two, pages 183-267. Discussion hosted on Zoom.
March 24, 7pm: Chapter 3 to end, pages 268-end of book. Discussion hosted on Zoom.
March 31, 7pm: "Nothing Personal" an essay by James Baldwin. Discussion hosted on Zoom. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ESSAY
April 7, 7pm: "A Talk To Teachers" and "The Creative Process."
All programs are free and open to the community.

ON ZOOM
March 10: Read Pages 1 -178 and consider:
“Beneath them Rufus walked, one of the fallen –for the weight of this city was murderous.

Seeing Truth
How do we see Another Country and "our" country as what it is?
What does it mean for us individually, communally, and for our future?

March 17: Read Pages 179-258 and consider:
So what can we really do for each other except – just love each other and be each other’s witness? And haven’t we got the right to hope – for more? So that we can really stretch into whoever we really are?

March 24 Pages 259-415
‘When you’re older you’ll see, I think, that we all commit our crimes. The thing is not to lie about them – to try to understand what you have done, why you have done it.’ …‘That way, you can begin to forgive yourself. That’s very important. If you don’t forgive yourself you’ll never be able to forgive anybody else and you’ll go on committing the same crimes for ever.’

March 31: Read the essay, "Nothing Personal" and consider:
"The light will rise for others, but not for you.”
How is the Personal Political, Vice Versa, and Why Does That Matter?

April 7: "A Talk To Teachers" and "The Creative Process."
The JBOLC is focused on creating meaningful curriculum design as we grow learning opportunities across our food, arts, and collective communities. We look to James Baldwin’s timeless and insightful reflections on education and the creative process for inspiration and guidance. Please join us on April 7 pm to continue our communal forum led by Carole Weinsten and invite all friends and educators to contribute their ideas toward meaningful content and methodologies that enable our continued community expansion.

Strange Fruit is the first documentary exploring the history and legacy of the Billie Holiday classic. The song's evolution tells a dramatic story of America's radical past using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. The saga brings viewers face-to-face with the terror of lynching even as it spotlights the courage and heroism of those who fought for racial justice when to do so was to risk ostracism and livelihood if white - and death if Black. It examines the history of lynching, and the interplay of race, labor and the left, and popular culture as forces that would give rise to the Civil Rights Movement.

The James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center strives for inquiry and project-based solutions at the juncture of Food, Environmental and Social Justice. JBOLC Garden Community Farmers Market begins its 3rd season Saturday, June 11, and plans to host a weekly Food and Arts Collective.

The Literary Freedom Project values the variety of histories and cultures found in the Bronx and gives educators & residents places to build community and explore social engagement.