A Tribute to Amiri Baraka

Good morning, family. Rest in peace, Amiri Baraka.

Revolutionary Amiri Baraka Joins the Ancestors

Today, we lost a legend. We lost a poet. We lost a playwright. We lost an activist. We lost a leader. We lost a brother, brother Amiri Baraka. He has joined our great ancestors. May God bless and comfort his family during this difficult time.

USA Today reports that:

NEW YORK (AP) — Amiri Baraka, the militant man of letters and tireless agitator whose blues-based, fist-shaking poems, plays and criticism made him a provocative and groundbreaking force in American culture, has died. He was 79.

His booking agent, Celeste Bateman, told the Associated Press that Baraka, who had been hospitalized since last month, died Thursday at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Perhaps no writer of the 1960s and '70s was more radical or polarizing than the former LeRoi Jones, and no one did more to extend the political debates of the civil rights era to the world of the arts. He inspired at least one generation of poets, playwrights and musicians, and his immersion in spoken word traditions and raw street language anticipated rap, hip-hop and slam poetry. The FBI feared him to the point of flattery, identifying Baraka as "the person who will probably emerge as the leader of the Pan-African movement in the United States."

Baraka transformed from the rare black to join the Beat caravan of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac to leader of the Black Arts Movement, an ally of the Black Power movement that rejected the liberal optimism of the early '60s and intensified a divide over how and whether the black artist should take on social issues. Scorning art for art's sake and the pursuit of black-white unity, Barak was part of a philosophy that called for the teaching of black art and history and producing works that bluntly called for revolution.

"We want 'poems that kill,'" Baraka wrote in his landmark Black Art, a manifesto published in 1965, the year he helped found the Black Arts Movement. "Assassin poems. Poems that shoot guns/Poems that wrestle cops into alleys/and take their weapons leaving them dead/with tongues pulled out and sent to Ireland."

He was as eclectic as he was prolific: His influences ranged from Ray Bradbury and Mao Zedong to Ginsberg and John Coltrane. Baraka wrote poems, short stories, novels, essays, plays, musical and cultural criticism and jazz operas. His 1963 book Blues People has been called the first major history of black music to be written by an African-American. A line from his poem Black People! — "Up against the wall mother f-----" — became a counterculture slogan for everyone from student protesters to the rock band Jefferson Airplane. A 2002 poem he wrote alleging that some Israelis had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks led to widespread outrage.

Let us celebrate Amiri Baraka's life by continuing his bold and courageous legacy of pride and resistance.

Happy Birthday Brother Malcolm X

Every year during Black History Month, I was taught about the diluted and sanitized version of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His famous I Have A Dream speech was drilled into my head. I was taught that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I was programmed to embrace the virtues of non-violent resistance. Conversely, Malcolm X's name was only mentioned in passing.





Finally, when I attended Howard University many moons ago, I saw a excellent documentary on the life of Malcolm X. Before seeing that film, I never heard a black man speak with such boldness. For the first time, I heard a brave black man say that we have a divine and legal right to defend ourselves from racist brutality and oppression. Instead of begging the white man to recognize our humanity, brother Malcolm X taught us to know ourselves and our history. He taught us to love our motherland. He taught us to love our black skin, wide noses and kinky hair.

Malcolm's words awakened my political and social consciousness. I started devouring books beginning with the Autobiography of Malcolm X and Malcolm X Speaks. He inspired me to become a student activist in college. My commitment to social justice continues today because of the spark that he ignited within me.

I cannot thank Brother Malcolm enough. Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom. Thank you for inspiring me to join the struggle for equality and justice. Happy Birthday Brother Malcolm X. May God forgive you for your sins and bless you with paradise.

The Continuing Relevance of Brother Malcolm X's Message

On May 19, 1925, the legendary black freedom fighter Malcolm X was born. Today, we should to take a moment to reflect on our dear beloved brother's contribution to our struggle for freedom, justice and equality. We should reflect on the relevance of his revolutionary ideology in this Age of Obama.

I am just about finish reading Manning Marable's masterpiece, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. As I continue to read the book, I wonder what would Malcolm X think about the state of black people today. I am convinced that many of his views remain relevant today.

Malcolm X said that we should control the politicians in our community. In his Ballot or the Bullet speech, he proclaimed that:

"The time when white people can come in our community and get us to vote for them so they can be our political leaders and tell us what to do and what not to do is long gone. By the same token, the time when that same white man...can send another Negro into the community and get you and me to support him so he can use him to lead us astray, those days are long gone too."

America has made tremendous progress in race relations. Due to the Voting Rights Act, we have the power to elect our candidates of choice. We have an African American President. We have many black congressional representatives and mayors. There have been a few black governors. I am sure that Malcolm X would not pacified by the quantity of African American politicians. He would focus on the quality and commitment of those politicians.

Can we truly say that we truly control the politicians in our community when most of them depend on corporate contributions for their political survival? In the tradition of Malcolm X, we must challenge our politicians and so called leaders when they support policies that are contrary to the interests of black people and oppressed people. We cannot efford to simply be enamored by black faces in high places.

Brother Malcolm challenged U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson for failing to protect civil rights workers. He challenged them for their imperialistic foreign policies in the Congo, Vietnam and elsewhere. Malcolm X condemned Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people. Today, we must oppose U.S. imperialism. Let's remember Malcolm X by opposing the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

Malcolm X said that we should control the economy of our communities. Today, we have extraordinary examples of black entrepreneurs such as Oprah Winfrey and Jay Z. Currently, there are six African American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

Despite those major accomplishments, black people still do not own the restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores, gas stations, banks and malls in their communities. We don't even own the beauty supply stores in the 'hood. Many of those businesses are owned and controlled by outsiders. Essentially, we remain economically colonized.

Unlike this current generation of bloggers and political pundits, brother Malcolm X knew that liberation would only come through organized struggle. For over a decade, he was a leader and member of the Nation of Islam. Later, he formed two organizations, Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). His militant philosophy inspired young people like Huey P. Newton to create revolutionary organizations. He inspired civil rights groups such as SNCC and CORE to take a more militant stance. Words have power. However, writing is not enough.

We must join or create organizations to address the needs of our people. With ongoing problems such as poverty, high unemployment, racial profiling, police brutality, mass incarceration, inferior schools, high dropout rates and inner city violence, there is plenty of work left to be done.

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.