In contemporary society, great attention is paid to civil rights, tolerance and humanism. However, the problem of discrimination of any kind still exists. The problem of race discrimination is especially vital nowadays. James Baldwin is one of the prominent public figures who has made an attempt to understand the roots of a race discrimination. He is known as the author of many books revealing different historical events and Baldwins personal attitude to them. No name on the street is one of them. Published in 1972 this book has sparked a public outcry. It deals with different historical events. The book also describes the author’s attitude to prominent public figures. A great attention is paid to the murder of Marin Luther King. As compared with his previous works, Baldwins No name on the street is much more private. The main idea that runs like a golden thread through the book is the Baldwins though that humanity should become kinder, otherwise people will destroy each other. In his book, Baldwin gives his own opinion concerning a wide range of events taking place all over the world. The book can be logically divided into two parts, consisting of two essays. They are Take Me to the Water and To be Baptized . In the initial part of his book the author represents many stories from his childhood in Harlem. The book is written in the original manner avoiding italics with prevailing untitled passages. It makes the general character of the book rater conversational and trustworthy. Describing such prominent figures as Malcom X and Martin Luther King, the author prefers to use their first names underlying his friendship relations with these people. The first part of it primarily consists of different personal episodes, which are supplied with political analyses. He describes his trip to the American south and France. The author also expresses his thoughts concerning the occupation of Algeria and his attitude towards it. It is believed that the publication of the book was inspired by the death of Martin Luther King and in the first part of it the author makes a short insight into his personal reaction to this event. Being a prominent public figure and political leader, King had a great impact on existing society. His ideas can hardly been overestimated. His thoughts and his proclivities to love and nonviolence were those bricks, which were able to consolidate the nation, making no difference between blacks and whites. At the same time, there were those black people who considered Kings ideas to be naive. They preferred to defend their rights by means of weapon. Moreover, there were many cases of violence and armed conflicts between blacks and whites. The situation became more and more explosive and the government was unable to control it. In 1968, Martin Luther King took part in a protest march which aim was to support the strike of laboring men. Several days after this event King was deadly wounded. This murder was a shock for American society and had sparked the nationwide outcry. The result of it were the revolts of the black population more than in one hundred cities of the USA. In spite of the extraordinary security measures, the disorders took place even in the capital of the country. Forty-six persons