James Baldwin was born the illegitimate son of Emma Berdis Jones on August 2, 1924, in Harlem Hospital. In James's third year, his mother married the Reverend David Baldwin, a fire and brimstone lay preacher, who legally adopted James.
James attended Public School 24 in Harlem, where he met a young white teacher named Orilla Miller. Nicknamed "Bill" by the young Baldwin, Miller was to have a profound effect on Baldwin's life. She directed his first play and encouraged his talents. The two discussed literature and went to museums together. Miller even won David Baldwin's permission to take James to the theater, an activity strictly forbidden by the elder Baldwin. Later, James was to give credit to Bill for her lack of racism. He explained that it was "certainly partly because of her, who arrived in my terrifying life so soon, that I never really managed to hate white people."
After elementary school, Baldwin went on to Frederic Douglas Junior high. It was here that he met Countee Cullen (an American poet) and Herman W. Porter, both of whom were teachers at the school during the years that Baldwin attended, and both would have a lasting impact on his life. Cullen encouraged James to participate in the school's literary club, which he was the founder and advisor of. Baldwin was enchanted by Cullen's warmth and openness, and soon Cullen became a father figure to the troubled and lonely youth.
Porter was in charge of The Douglas Pilot, the school magazine, and made Baldwin the editor of the publication to which he would also contribute. Porter introduced James to the public library and taught him how to overcome the racial slurs and hostility that he sometimes encountered there. These two teachers and role models had a profound impact on Baldwin's life by showing him that black men could be successful, educated, and strong.
