The exhibition in Harlem celebrates 100 years

“I stand by the river, you hold my hand, guide my steps, lead me home, my God.” James Baldwin’s voice can be heard from the tape in the still dark hall of the Schomburg Center in Harlem. He sings the spiritual “Precious Lord”, it feels soft, tender like a lullaby. The auditorium is full, not everyone got a seat at the writer’s centennial celebration before, people were going around the block on 135th Street. Across the street, Baldwin was born in Harlem Hospital in 1924.