Samuel L. Jackson is "not your Negro." Janelle Monae is "not your bitch." Common is "not your criminal." Chris Rock is "not your thug." Lupita Nyong'o is "not your noble savage."
Some of today's most influential black celebs and activists came together to help preserve James Baldwin's legacy. In a video for Mic, they urge Americans to read his work and watch the Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro.
The film attempts to recreate Baldwin's lost, unfinished work--a treatise on race in America that is as poignant now as ever before. Director Raoul Peck is working with various organizations like the Ford Foundation and Emerson Collective to build a national initiative to make Baldwin's works a part of school curricula.
Related | Four Famous Writers Choose Their Favorite James Baldwin Books
"Read James Baldwin," Monae, et al proclaim. "Know your Baldwin."






























I watched the Kid Rock Turning Point USA halftime show so you don't have to
Opinion: "I have no problem with lip syncing, but you'd think the side that hates drag queens so much would have a little more shame about it," writes Ryan Adamczeski.