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In the third part of “Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind,” Baldwin discusses the future of racial tension in America and what steps should be taken to achieve progress. It starts with the financial backing of the Nation of Islam. He states that the source of their finances is a secret. He tells an anecdote of George Lincoln Rockwell, the leader of the American Nazi party, donating 20 dollars, since he also believed that Black Americans should try to create a separate country for themselves. Baldwin points out that any attempts to glorify a single race and denigrate others has always resulted in murder. He next discusses the idea of a spiritual wasteland, the idea that in oppressing minorities, white people in America are also negatively afflicted. For the rest of the essay, there is a focus on the idea that white people in America cannot become whole, spiritually, without elevating Black people.

Read an explanation of a key quote (#4) about Baldwin’s emphasis on the importance of giving, especially for white people in America.

Baldwin describes the unique lineage of Black Americans and how, despite emancipation 100 years prior, they are very far from equality. His last name, Baldwin, was given to his ancestors as a label for property. They were forced to become Christians as captured pagans. Black people are the most despised individuals in the country, and it will be difficult for the situation to improve, since most people are not willing to actually give anything. Most people choose to stay guarded and keep things for themselves. For white people to elevate and embrace Black people, they would have to give up their understanding of reality and themselves. To give requires vulnerability; to risk oneself. Baldwin claims that white people are unwilling to risk anything beyond the usual tokenism, as found in integration. He also states that such tokenism only existed because of the shifting political climate(s) in Africa during the Cold War. He further states that “independence” in Africa, while European powers still exist there, is as nonsensical as “integration” in the United States, with the lack of equality for Black people. Most people are not inclined toward treating others with equality. People prefer to feel superior.

Baldwin next examines a significant conflict within all humans, especially white Americans. He starts by explaining that even when oppressed people overthrow regimes, such as in Cuba, they often encounter further violence. Most people are unwilling to accept the reality of their lives. He describes the time of his writing as a revolutionary age. He states that America is uniquely suited, with its power and history, to assist in such revolutions and minimize the number of lives lost during them. The true source of the problem is that, in an effort to avoid accepting mortality, humans will “sacrifice all the beauty of our lives” for religion, nations, armed conflict, rituals, and ceremonies. All of these are used to deny that death is inevitable, one of the only guaranteed facts for humanity. Humanity should try to celebrate the natural cycle of birth, struggle, and death, instead of focusing on inconstant concepts, such as money or power.

Read an explanation of a key quote (#5) about the importance of recognizing death as a natural part of life.

Ultimately, the United States must stop considering itself a white nation and accept that it is a unique, multiethnic nation. Progress and the future of the United States are both tied to how minorities are treated (or will be treated). White people in America have the wrong perspective. They assume that Black people are seeking to emulate the lives of white people, and that equality will be reached when Black people are able to do so. Baldwin states that this reassures white people that they are superior and correct. Instead, white people need to truly accept that Black people are equal as human beings and accept that white society is not a proper model for people to base their lives on. White people will also be liberated once they can enact this liberation of Black people. He maintains a message of unity, that both Black and white people must succeed for the nation to succeed, which runs counter to white supremacists and the Nation of Islam.

Baldwin ends with the idea that Black people have a unique perspective that will allow for racial progress. Suffering can often produce wisdom and self-awareness, and it will take great spiritual resilience for a group of people not to demand revenge after being oppressed. He highlights the efforts of previous generations of Black people who hid their pride and discontent to request money for schools and other advancements. Black people have an advantage in that they have never believed the myths about America most white people believe: that America is the greatest country in the world, that the forefathers were pure advocates of freedom, and Americans have always been honorable in their political dealings. The mindset of white Americans must be reexamined. It will take the conscious white and Black people to raise the consciousness of everyone else if America is to be realized as a whole country. He closes the essay with a warning, a line from an African American Spiritual, “God gave Noah the rainbow sign, No more water, the fire next time!”

Read about a Main Idea (#2) in The Fire Next Time: People often choose their life’s path after recognizing they are no longer innocent.

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