Baldwin 100: Notes from Native Son founder Emil Wilbekin
The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.” — James BaldwinJames Baldwin’s words truly resonate with me as a Black gay man in a world where I am continuously trying to find my place—and to fit in.
As a child, I knew I wasn’t like the other kids in school, in my Cub Scout troop, or on the little league team in my neighborhood.
As a child growing up in Cincinnati, OH, I didn’t have the wherewithal, cognition, or language to understand why I felt different.
Like many gay, queer, and gender-nonconforming kids, I often felt misunderstood—isolated and alone. As much as I tried to conform to the constructs of gender norms, traditions, and socialization at home, at school, in my community, and at church, I always felt as if I didn’t belong, I didn’t fit.
