On the Life and Legacy of Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka (nee LeRoy Jones) died late last week at the age of 79. The world knew him as a prolific poet, playwright and activist. I knew him as one of my favorite poets, among the first African American poets that I was exposed to and moved by in the 1990s.

I met Mr. Baraka at a book talk  for his acclaimed book of poetry, Tales of the Out & Gone (2007) at Politics & Prose in Washington, DC. After a brief reading, he signed a book that a friend purchased for me.  I remember him, even into his seventies, as a fiery, provocative figure who lived to inspire political dialogue through his poetry, essays and other literature.

I first read Baraka's poetry in high school in a 1963 publication of American Negro Poetry. His writing was juxtaposed to many of the greats of the Harlem Renissance, including Countee Cullen and Sterling Brown (one of Baraka's mentors). Later, in college, I read some of Baraka's more controversial works like his play, The Dutchman (which was the winner of the prestigious Obie award, sponsored by the Village Voice) and poems like, "Ka' Ba" or "Black Art."

Until his death, I had little idea about the formative and seismic impact he had on the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s. His works, that I read in numerous Norton anthologies, only hinted at the activist the world knew. In the research that I've done for this blog, I learned that his work to date has been censored. I never read his most influential and polemical work. As a result of his death, surely there will be renewed interest in his activism and his legacy. I anxiously await the publication of a complete collection of his poetry in the years to come.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, he was known as a Beat poet and spent a great deal of time in New York and Paris with the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Jean Paul Satre. He changed his name from LeRoy to LeRoi (meaning "the king" in French), married a young Jewish woman by the name of Hettie Cohen, had two children and lived in Manhattan.

By 1967, after the Cuban revolution, the assassination of Malcolm X and the Newark riots, Baraka became radicalized. He left his wife, Hettie Cohen, changed his name to Ameer Baraka, married Amina Baraka (nee Sylvia Robinson) and moved back to his hometown of Newark, NJ.

During the riots (which Baraka termed a "rebellion" in which 1500 were injured and 27 died), he was captured by the police and brutally beaten. In an account of what took place at that time, he said that the police interrupted his poetry reading and took his script from him, "as if it were a loaded weapon." First, he was beaten in the streets, until neighbors interrupted by throwing glass bottles at the officers. Then he was taken to the police department, where he was beaten further and brought in front of the sheriff. According to Baraka's own account, the only thing that saved his life that day was a call to the police from Jean Paul Satre (one of Baraka's cronies and, of course, a famed French philosopher). I would subscribe these events to urban legend, if I had not heard the words come out of Baraka's own mouth. See "Sources" below for details.

These ideas go to the heart of what the poet claimed and used to motivate other artists of his generation by the mid-to-late 1960s. Art for art's sake was no good. All art is political and the sequence of events in Newark serve to validate this premise. According to one of the panelists from one of the sources below, we, African Americans, have to continue "to develop our own aesthetic." We have "a distinctive viewpoint and different optical and auditory nerves," which is why our art "does not conform to mainstream Western values." This was the foundation of "cultural nationalism." Mr. Baraka aimed to foment racial consciousness and pride, which formed the backbone of the Black Arts Movement.

Baraka is also credited with being the first African American to write a book which traced the role and development of jazz from slavery into contemporary times in Blues People. According to his friends, like Sonia Sanchez, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, it was in creating this work that "he found his voice." He mirrored Langston Hughes in incorporating jazz elements into his poetry. Today, rap and spoken-word owe their foundation to Baraka and others who built on this legacy of "mass-based poetry." Toni Morrison called Amiri Baraka "the greatest living poet."

More practically, at the height of the poet's growing cultural and political power, he worked to unify African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other groups to bring about political change. He helped to inspire each group's own cultural nationalism and is said to have brought about multiculturalism as we know it today.

Over the course of his career, Amiri Baraka served as professor at Yale, Columbia, Rutgers and George Washington University, as well as, twenty years at SUNY-Stony Brook. He was the poet laureate of New Jersey from 2002-03. He leaves quite a legacy, in his children, his students and in his great writing. He will not soon be forgotten.

Sources:

Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2014/1/10/remembering_amiri_baraka_part_2_featuring

USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/01/09/amiri-barak-dies/4395467/

Fader:
http://www.thefader.com/2014/01/09/amiri-baraka-poet-laureate/

Introducing, Love Emphatically...

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your celebrations. I am still celebrating because this new year will bring a new book for me--one which will be released as early as the spring. The book cover is an ever-evolving project. I wanted to share an initial sample with you. I hope that you like it! See below.

Double-click on the image to read the text

Pulling Back the Veil on "Who Will Rise?"

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts concerning reader-favorite poems from my most recent book, A Poet Speaks of Empire. This post will pull back the veil on "Who Will Rise?" This particular poem concerns the new scramble for Africa and asks a question at the heart of the book, mainly, which world power will emerge victorious in this new era? Does foreign investment in Africa from emerging market nations like Brazil, Russia, India and China represent a new age of imperialism? Or, does it, in fact, represent a new partnership where sub-Saharan Africa shares in the gains of investment? Here's the poem:

WHO WILL RISE?

A vivid past forces our African

imaginations —

now faded memories of Sundiata

and colonial revolutionaries like

Sarraounia  and Nehanda:

beacons, forerunners, trailblazers

in a lost time, whose past battles

parallel our renewed struggle.

What have we learned from our past?

Do we have an answer to imperialism?

Questions that demand answers –

questions we cannot fathom.

What new strength has been added?

Is this a time to conquer or to be

re-conquered?

New masters and old mingle in

our African imaginations begging

the question, “Who will rise?”

In this poem, I ask the question, "Is this a time to conquer or to be/re-conquered?" Is what we're seeing today merely a second scramble for sub-Saharan Africa's mineral resource wealth or is foreign investment more meaningful? Is this a time to reflect on ancient revolutionaries like Sundiata, Sarraounia and Nehanda, who were "beacons, forerunners, [and] trailblazers" who aided in throwing off the chains of imperialism in times past? Finally, "new [colonial] masters," like Brazil, like Russia, like China "mingle" with "old," like Great Britain, France and Portugal, "begging the question 'Who will rise?'"--who will emerge, who will reign? This is a piviotal moment in history--an appropriate time for a poet to speak of empire. 

My continued reading on Africa's rise seems to point to a happy ending for the continent. According to a recent issue of The Network Journal, Brazil's public and private sectors have pledged to re-invest and transfer technologies to the continent in order to repay a "solidarity debt" for the many Africans taken as slaves across the middle of the last millennium. According to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: Brazil, which is the world's sixth-largest economy, "owes its current strength to the more than 300 years of slavery during which we exploited the sweat and blood of millions of Africans.”

Brazil's government and multinational corporations plan to make strategic investments in everything from physical infrastructure to agriculture to technology to the auto sector in order to propel growth and expand Africa's growing middle class. Brazil invested $28 billion  in projects on the continent in 2011, up dramatically from $4 billion in 2000. China and Brazil will continue to compete for the demands of the burgeoning middle class. Africa continues to be an increasingly lucrative place to do business. If Brazil and China are any example, the future looks bright for Africa.

Book Signing at Barnes & Noble in Partnership with The Hord Foundation

Last weekend, I was fortunate to have a two-day book event at Barnes & Noble in Danbury, CT in partnership with The Hord Foundation. Last Saturday, I joined The Hord Foundation's founder, Board members and volunteers in an effort to raise funding for The Foundation's college scholarships to African American high school seniors in western Connecticut. (Click here to read more about The Hord Foundation's work.) I signed my books and handed out Hord brochures for nearly three hours.

While south of Connecticut the east coast was pounded with cold and snow, New England was spared the bad weather, at least for a few days. Fortunately, there was a lot of traffic in the store on Saturday and Sunday. We raised awareness about Hord, while raising money and selling my books. A portion of all sales to Barnes customers with a Hord Foundation card benefited Hord's scholarship fund.

It was great to chat with customers and to steer their sales toward books of mine that were appropriate for them or family and friends. Many were shopping for gifts. Nothing beats face to face contact with potential readers. I love doing events like these. They foment wonderful conversation and learning.

On Saturday, A Poet Speaks of Empire was the impetus for a number of conversations. One woman agreed with the book's premise that, in visiting Timbuktu, Mali not long ago, change was in the air. She noted that this seems to be a new era particularly for business in West Africa. Following that conversation, I spoke to a gentlemen whose daughter spent three months working in Botswana as a part of her graduate program. His daughter relished riding the local bus to and from work and no one knowing that she was different, an American, until she opened her mouth to speak. This experience of being part of a majority was new and refreshing for her.

On Sunday, I gave a presentation outlining three of my four published books and even introduced a poem from my forthcoming book of poetry, Love Emphatically. The focus again fell on A Poet Speaks of Empire. A South African gentleman, approached me after my book talk wondering why I chose to write poetry. What followed was a discussion about politics and economics in South Africa today. He said that the focus on materialism and opulence was poisonous. After speaking to him, I got the sense that South Africa seems to be losing its way. The African National Congress seems to be rather dominant, with splintering interests represented in far too many other (possibly weaker) political parties.

He was mildly skeptical about the Chinese's interests in South Africa. While the Chinese are investing in new roads and other infrastructure, their interests remain in removing natural resources. Moreover, the expertise and employment that the Chinese bring to South Africa leaves with them. They don't seem invested in training or hiring locals/indigenous South Africans for business purposes.

Although his overall outlook was perhaps a little bit skeptical, I greatly appreciated his sobering perspective. I look forward to and welcome future conversations of this nature.

Examining Reader-Favorite Poems: "An Homage to the Black Stars"

This is the fifth in a series of blog posts concerning reader-favorite poems from my latest book, A Poet Speaks of Empire. This week I'll examine "An Homage to the Black Stars." I'll interpret the poem and tell the story behind it. Here's the poem:  

AN HOMAGE TO THE BLACK STARS

They took to the streets like

so many birds to the sky:

flocked like children to the

red clay, cheering for those

long-revered.

Long prayed for rain arriving

in rhythm like their praise.

They carried flags and touted shirts

for the Black Stars.

The crowd’s arrival was an

explosion of joy – pounding streets,

confusing traffic, reaching skyward.

The overwhelming volume consuming

the blackbird’s cry. Audible from the

crowd, all but silence.

The "Black Stars" is the name given to Ghana's beloved national soccer team. They're named as such because of the famous black star at the center of Ghana's national flag (see left). This black star comes from Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line, whose ships' destination was West Africa.

The poem above concerns my experience on the streets of Kumasi, Ghana after a wonderful soccer game from the 2006 World Cup played in Germany. I was fortunate to be in Ghana when the Black Stars beat the United States to advance to the second round.

I happened to be returning by car from watching the game with a co-worker's family when the city erupted. Black Stars fans "took to the streets like/so many birds to the sky". Despite the rain, the streets were filled with young men and women "pounding streets,/confusing traffic, reaching skyward" in "long prayed for rain". It was a mesmerizing spectacle. There were so many people on the street that in the car we could only move at the pace of the crowd.

It was a long ride home but a memorable one. The city was on fire in a way that I had never seen and I was there to witness it.

More to come..

"Meet the Author" at Barnes & Noble - Nov. 22

Last Friday, I was invited to take part in "Discovery Friday" at the Barnes & Noble in Danbury, CT. The "Meet the Author" event for local authors was one of many activities and fun planned to kick off book sales for the holiday season. This was a wonderful opportunity to introduce myself to the Danbury community. I had warm and wonderful conversations with a number of fascinating individuals at the bookstore.

I was fortunate to connect with a woman who was immediately taken with my second book, A Dawn Run Hot with Morning. She found that it might make a great gift for a friend of hers who enjoyed poetry and art. I signed the book to her friend and hope that she enjoys her reading. I signed A Poet Speaks of Empire for her, too, and mentioned that it was inspired by my work in Ghana several years ago. A family member of hers also traveled to Africa and, like me, it changed the way she looked at poverty on the continent.

I also spoke with a young woman who was in high school. We agreed that we greatly enjoyed writing and started writing poetry and short stories at a young age. I admitted to writing my first short story at 7 and she mentioned that she started writing many years ago, as well. She also noted that she helped edit her co-op's literary magazine, something I did in high school, too. It is always great to meet young writers and to encourage them to pursue their passions!

I talked briefly with a man who said that he always wanted to be a writer. I noted to him that, these days, it is far easier to publish than it was just ten years ago. With the rise of print on demand publishing, just about anyone with a creative eye can publish a book.

When I noted that I was published independently, he seemed surprised. Eventually, I gave him a business card and he noted that he'd check out my work online. If I had the chance to continue the conversation further, what I would say to him is that he would be shocked by the quality of writing and overall quality of books coming from independently published writers.

I have had the privilege to read a number of books of fiction and poetry through a group on Facebook called "Review Seekers" in which authors offer their books for free in return for an honest review of their book. The amount of untapped talent out there is remarkable!

I've heard that your chances of being published by a traditional publisher are equivalent to that of being struck by lightning. With this in mind, it is imaginable that many major publishing houses' "slush piles" are filled with talent. What may be in question is how easy or difficult it is for a book to easily find a market and become a bestseller.

Finally, I ran into a man who, like me, studied English in college and lamented the day when poets wrote accessibly. He remembered a day when Allen Ginsberg, a beat poet from the 1950s and 1960s, came to speak to a group in his writing program and how enjoyable reading poetry was back in the day. I agreed. Many people don't enjoy reading poetry that obscures understanding. I aim for accessibility in my work, almost above all.

In sum, last Friday was a lot of fun. It's great doing events like this one. I look forward to doing more events like these in the future!

Examining Reader-Favorite Poems: "A Poet Speaks of Empire"

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts intended to examine reader-favorite poems from A Poet Speaks of Empire. This week I'll look at the opening poem from the book, entitled, "A Poet Speaks of Empire". This poem is key to the premise of the book. An understanding of the book, A Poet Speaks of Empire, pivots on insight into this poem.

The poem touches upon centuries of struggle faced by many nations in sub-Saharan Africa since the dawn of the trans-Atlantic and trans-Saharan slave trades, through the troubled period since independence from colonialists, up until this new era in the continent's history. Here's the poem:  

A POET SPEAKS OF EMPIRE

From the depths of a frightening bottom

arises the promise of heights only imagined

by history. Mansa Musa[1] could not

dream of the hopes for tomorrow.

From the horrors of a beleaguered past

besmeared with the sale of an aging dynasty

and its people,[2] rises a cypress.[3]

Now compelled by the grip of an ancient

longing, a rising bourgeoisie breathes free.

New and constant inhalations catch the

scent of a budding era, fresh on the heels

of broken beginnings.

Arise, oh great continent, arise!

A new age beckons your voice,

your voyage.

Arise village, arise nation, arise continent!

Children seek their inheritance. A

grand past makes this generation

eager for a magnificent future, bearing

fruit to feed a multitude:

electrifying shanty grids,

irrigating drought-wrought farms,

transporting goods and services,

delivering to markets beyond the

horizon.

Rise to the moment ancient griot,[4]

storied marabout,[5] revolutionary

warrior, rich farmer! Bring your alms,

your drums, your ghosts and your songs;

the children of today must carry on

traditions older than time, ripe as the sea.

The reference to Mansa Musa is important here. In the 13th century, long before the international slave trade, ancient Mali was renowned as a world cultural and financial center. Timbuktu was an undeniable force in the trade of salt, silk and local slaves at the height of empire.   

During a period of decline, beginning in the 17th century, African slave traders began selling Africans (who were already slaves or prisoners of war) to the Portuguese, the British, the Spanish, the Americans and others. The business was extremely lucrative and many African ethnic groups benefited enormously from the trade. 

The sale of slaves was not exclusive to the West; Arabs also had a need for free labor. It is estimated that 30 million people (many of whom perished) were exported across the Atlantic, the Sahara, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean into ports across the world. 

From a strictly economic standpoint, this was a huge blow to human resources and human capital in sub-Saharan Africa. Imagine, such an enormous number of strong, young Africans, in the prime of their lives, being sold at auction to the highest bidder. Although many ethnic groups benefited financially, the long-term impact on local economies was marked and lasted for generations. To some historians, the enormous export of human capital, in small part, explains centuries of poor economic performance in sub-Saharan Africa. Populations are just being restored today, which may be an element in explaining recent economic gains.

The major question which the poem cited above and the book, in general, address is the question of empire. History has witnessed the rise and fall of empire since the beginning of time. With at least five of the world's fastest growing economies now in sub-Saharan Africa, supported by new trade and investment from emerging market countries in the global South, including Brazil, India and China, the continent's rise to power, economically and otherwise seems highly probable. The economic crisis of 2008 was a watershed moment in economic history for the West. However, it revealed the prowess of emerging market economies across the global South. Many of these nations remained little affected by the crisis and were even witness to growth. Time will tell if the developing world will continue to emerge and if empire will shift to the global South.

---

[1] Ancient Malian king, 1280 – 1337 AD

[2] Slaves and prisoners of war in ancient Mali were sold off into the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the trans-Saharan slave trade in an effort to raise funds for the failing empire

[3] Species of tree native to southern Africa

[4] West African storyteller who maintains the tradition of oral history

[5] A saint in Muslim Africa believed to have supernatural powers