The Very Least of You

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr. and James Arthur Baldwin appear on SOUL!, a pioneering variety television program dedicated to African American art (dance, music, and literature) which ran during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this clip, taped in November 1971, the pair discuss the plight of Black America, and the nuances of gender and generational perspectives. You can access the full interview here: https://mocada.org/aiovg_videos/james-baldwin-nikki-giovanni-a-conversation/

James Baldwin: If I love you, I can’t lie to you.

Nikki Giovanni: Of course you can lie to me. And you will. If you love me and you’re going off Mattie some place, you’re lying to me. ‘Cause what the hell do I care about the truth? I care if you’re there. What Billie Holiday say? “Hush now. Don’t explain.”

JB: Alright. I accept that.

NG: Of course.

JB: I accept that.

NG: Of course you love me. And I don’t even want to care. And what does the truth matter? Why you gonna be truthful with me when you lie to everybody else? You lied when you smiled at the cracker down at the job. Right? Lie to me! Smile! Treat me the same way you would treat him.

JB: I can’t treat you the same way I would treat him.

NG: You must! You must! Because I’ve caught the frowns and the anger. He’s happy with you. Of course he doesn’t know you’re unhappy. You grin at him all day long. You come home and I catch hell. Because I love you, I get the least of you; I get the very minimum. And I’m saying, you know, fake it with me. Is that too much for the Black woman to ask of the Black man?

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