In “Growing Up in Baltimore,”, published before “Letter to My Son,” Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses the environment that shaped his early years. This includes the effects of the optimism created by the Civil Rights Movement, the fear created by crack epidemic, and his romantic memories of the music, sports and comic book heroes of the 80s. The video ends with a tribute to his later home, New York City.

http://bigthink.com/videos/growing-up-in-baltimore