Baldwin Manifesto I

That the artist's struggle for integrity is a kind of metaphor for the universal 
And daily struggle for all human beings 
On the face of this terrifying globe to get to become human beings
It is not our fault, not my fault that I write
I would never have come before you in the position of a complainant for something I must do
What we might get at this evening, if we are lucky
If the mic doesn't fail, if my voice holds out, is what the importance of this effort is

I want to suggest two propositions

The first one is that the poets, by which I mean all artists 
Are the only people who know the truth about us

Soldiers don't
Statesmen don't
Priests don't
Union leaders don't
Only the poets
That is my first proposition