Take This Hammer

In the spring of 1963, author/activist James Baldwin set out to assess “the real situation of Negroes in the city, as opposed to the image San Francisco would like to present.” Come with him as he meets with members of the African-American community, having a series of frank exchanges with people on the street and community leaders alike, listening and offering encouragement. By the end, Baldwin emphatically declares: “There is no moral distance…between the facts of life in San Francisco and the facts of life in Birmingham. Someone’s got to tell it like it is. And that’s where it’s at.” We’ll be showing the controversial original version of the film, which includes 15 minutes of footage mostly featuring scenes of young people, including Black Muslims, speaking about their lives and the police. Portions of this film were featured in I Am Not Your Negro.