You Mean it or You Don't

After a speech at UMass Amherst on February 28th, 1984, James Baldwin was asked by a student: 'You said that the liberal façade and being liberal is not enough. Well, what is? What is neccessary?' Baldwin responded, 'Commitment. That is what is necessary. You mean it or you don't.' Taking up that challenge and drawing from Baldwin's fiction, nonfiction, poetry and interviews, 'You Mean It or You Don't' will spur today's progressives from conviction to action. It is not enough to hold progressive views on racial justice, LGBTQ+ identity, and economic inequality. True and lasting change demands a response to Baldwin's radical challenge for moral commitment.