James Baldwin was a passionate civil-rights activist.

An honest and controversial author, he challenged his readers to face prejudice head-on–and question it. His classic novels include the 1953 work, Go Tell It On the Mountain, and 1968’s Tell Me How Long The Train’s Been Gone.

But today, many students don’t know anything about him.

Actor and cultural constructionist Charles Reese is working to change that fact.

Charles portrayed James Baldwin in the late Howard B. Simon’s critically-acclaimed off-Broadway play, James Baldwin: a Soul On Fire, in 1999. As Executive Curator for Howard B. Simon’s literary works, Charles has edited a published version of the play, and is currently working on making it into a film. He is also the author of the new essay, James Baldwin: Artist as Activist and the Baldwin/Kennedy Secret Summit of 1963, published in the recent anthology, James Baldwin: Challenging Authors.

Charles talked about the time he met James Baldwin, his college classmate Howard B. Simon and the play he created as a gift, and his future plans to celebrate and expand James Baldwin’s message to society today.