James Baldwin was an acclaimed African American writer. He was born in 1924 in Harlem, New York. His mother migrated to the North during the Great Migration to escape racial oppression under Jim Crow legislation. Baldwin did not know his biological father and was raised by his stepfather, a Baptist minister. Baldwin was the eldest of nine children and had a strained and troubled relationship with his stepfather, who was rigid and at times mistreated his sons. Baldwin took responsibility and cared for his younger brothers and sisters. He was shaped by the racial discrimination and poverty around him.

In his early teens, Baldwin became a preacher at the Harlem Pentecostal church. This experience influenced his writing, both in style and in content, with his work frequently containing biblical allusions and symbolism. His ministry also shaped his views on religion and Christianity. During his school years, Baldwin developed an interest in writing, and his gift was recognized and encouraged by his teachers. He attended Frederick Douglass Junior High School in Harlem, where he met Countee Cullen, a renowned poet of the Harlem Renaissance, who was his French teacher and mentor. Later, Baldwin attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, where he became an editor of the school’s literary magazine.