TREVOR BALDWIN

Speaker + Cultural Curator + Advocate + Baldwin Legacy Keeper

Trevor Baldwin Headshot

Davarian L. Baldwin Photo Credit: VisionMerge Productions

Located near: New York, NY

Speaking topics

The Baldwin Legacy: Personal insights as James Baldwin's nephew, including a cherished letter from JB and stories from godmother Maya Angelou.

Literary Advocacy: Inspiring accounts about leading the petition for Harlem street naming of “James Baldwin Place”, Baldwin archive acquisition, and public commemorations.

James Baldwin Centennial: Promoting legacy from the Creator of the Baldwin 100 Podcast and leader of centenary programming through 2025.

Community Leadership: leadership strategies and organizational partnership development with the Founder of JBCC and the Baldwin United Fund.

Cultural Stewardship: Fostering arts and culture Investment from an advocate with close ties to two literary visionaries.

Baldwin 101: Return to James Baldwin’s Core works and mission with the family’s perspective about his lasting resonance.

Event types

Keynotes
lectures
Fireside Chats
Panels
COMMUNITY SEMINARS
Virtual events
Moderation
International events
interviews

Trevor Baldwin’s bio

Trevor Baldwin was born, raised and currently lives in New York City. His father Wilmer, brother of James Baldwin, taught guitar at Harlem School of the Arts and his mother Helen was a CUNY professor and the Executive Director of Minisink Townhouse and Camp. Surrounded by arts and infused with education as a cultural foundation, Trevor is an offspring of Harlem's rich heritage.

A graduate of The Fieldston School, Morehouse College and New York Film Academy, Trevor works in public relations. He is also a screenwriter and producer with multiple projects in development. As a writer, he’s contributed to various online publications including Gawker, Blavity, VIBE, Global Grind, NewsOne and the Huffington Post.

In 2014, for his uncle’s 90th anniversary, Trevor coordinated the street naming of "James Baldwin Place" on the Harlem block where Uncle Jimmy and all his siblings attended elementary school. The ceremony occurred shortly after the death of his Godmother, Dr. Maya Angelou, who had planned to be the keynote speaker at the event. He later began working with Dr. Angelou's estate on media-related properties such as the PBS documentary "Maya Angelou and Still I Rise."

Trevor played a key role in the Apollo Theater premiere of If Beale Street Could Talk and partnered with other Baldwin celebrations as a family ambassador. Working with the estates of two literary icons has made him a natural purveyor of legacy as their inspirational lives and contributions have become increasingly more relevant in today's society.

In honor of his uncle's centennial, Trevor formed a family committee to help usher global celebrations, establish a digital footprint and spearheaded initiatives with corporate and cultural institutions. Partnerships include the New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Google, The Ford Foundation, Fremantle and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. In conjunction with Penguin Random House, he executive produced the Baldwin 100 Podcast, a series examining the author’s work and personal life in discussion with luminary guests such as Eddie Glaude, Jr., Roxanne Gay and Billy Dee Williams. Future projects include guiding the Baldwin 101 initiative, a call to return to James Baldwin’s core works and share their continued resonance with the world, in 2025.

Trevor recently founded Baldwin United, a family-operated non-profit family Collective Action Fund created to promote their uncle's legacy through art, literacy and social justice. The organization officially launched at a Lincoln Center celebration on August 2, 2024— Uncle Jimmy’s 100th birthday.

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Trevor Baldwin in the media

Baldwin 100 Interview with Trevor Baldwin

The Baldwin 100 by Penguin Random House and the James Baldwin Family