Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son

Patrice Lumumba was an African nationalist leader and the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Political unrest tied to the Congo’s newly declared independence from Belgium led to Lumumba’s dismissal and assassination. Baldwin highlights Lumumba’s assassination in the opening of Chapter 4 before expanding upon the impact of colonialism in America and the reactions of Black activist groups.

Referred to by Baldwin as the “Negro student movement,” the Black Student Movement comprised several student organizations centered on liberating American society from racist and restrictive attitudes and perceptions. For example, the SNCC (The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) conducted sit-ins around the country in the early 1960s to peacefully protest discriminatory practices of private businesses.

Referred to in Baldwin’s work as the “Conference of Negro-African Writers and Artists,” this event was one of two conferences which brought together Black intellectuals from around the globe. In “Princes and Powers,” Baldwin details the events of the first conference in Paris in 1956. The second conference was held in Rome in 1959.