James Baldwin (1924–1987) was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, civil rights activist whose work deals with racial and sexual issues in the mid-20th century in the United States. His novels mine complex social and psychological pressures related to being black and homosexual well before the social, cultural or political equality of these groups was improved. His groundbreaking 1956 novel, Giovanni’s Room, boldly examined an interracial gay love affair between two men living in Paris, and the social isolation facing those with such desires. As the Civil Rights movement unfolded in the U.S., Baldwin was a prominent, progressive voice who did not shy away from his own sexual identity. When an interviewer asked him on television to describe the challenges he faced as “a black, impoverished homosexual,” he answered, “I thought I’d hit the jackpot.” SF Bay Times Article
Find his plaque on Castro between 17th and 18th St