Chapter Activity 15

 

On Friday, April 8th I attended Session 3 of PAIDEIA at the student research conference at CNU Paideia was started in 1971 by a group of parents that wanted to educate their kids with a sense of individuality that’s centered around adapting to their learning styles at different rates. The ancient word “Paideia'' conveys the ancient Greek concept that covers three fundamental aspects of education which include intellectual, artistic, and social. I attended the 2:00pm to 3:00pm panel session on American and Leadership studies in Room 1213 of the Library. During Keelyn Graves's presentation on “ James Baldwin: Social Critique Through Individualism”, he discusses how the role of James Baldwin as a civil rights leader was overshadowed r during the civil rights movement because he was a homosexual black man. He was considered a fair representation of the middle ground in between the polarization of political parties, however, he was forced to choose between his sexual orientation and his identity as a black man because the civil rights movement wanted someone who could represent the masculine traits of a typical white man to fight for equal rights. The presenter further contextualizes the event by noting the polarized spectrum of the civil rights movement being marked by Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, which both met the standard of morals that were considered acceptable at the time. He thus dismisses any bias by providing an overview of information, but stills highlight the struggles of Baldwin being a homosexual man during the time period. He is thus transparent to the extent in which he recognizes that any progress Civil Rights Movement would’ve been obstructed by the representation of a gay, black man considering it would contribute to the level of inequality that they faced. But overall, he notes the civil rights movement in the south was ultimately centered around masculine, flattery politics, and Baldwin’s identity was critiqued by his community to cultivate a white image of morality.