Baldwin states that the book’s publication was delayed due to the turbulent historical events of the period. The crisis in American society is part of a wider crisis that is going to continue. The old world is in decline, but a new one is about to emerge.

Baldwin notes that the book remains unfinished because he is still awaiting news about the fate of his imprisoned friend. He anticipates that time will reveal the results of this history. Even if violence and struggle continue around the world, the dominance of the Western civilization has ended. Black Power leaders like Angela Davis are still under attack. He ends with a religious reference, saying that the Virgin Mary must “embrace the despised black mother” (197).