Jones-Baraka and the Racial Niche

Amiri Baraka, the poet, playwright and co-founder of the Black Arts Movement, has died at age 79. He had a difficult, self absorbed life with contradictions and changes that occurred in fits and starts. His personal history is one of failure and defiance but he did find a sort of political-artistic identity for those so inclined. The changing moment in his life, he says, was the murder of Malcolm X that he attributes, somehow, to racism although the black nationalists responsible are well known, were captured and convicted. After a number of evolutions in name and philosophy he became a proponent of "political art." (For those old enough, this might remind you of the stage of feminist "gynecological poetry" that did not sweep the West in the '60's.) A good review of one of his many autobiographical works can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/23/books/books-of-the-times-194204.html

One poem:

"We want 'poems that kill,'

Assassin poems. Poems that shoot guns.

Poems that wrestle cops into alleys

and take their weapons leaving them dead..."

He also wrote a poem implying that Israelis had advance knowledge of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: "Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers /To stay home that day/ Why did Sharon stay away?"

Always one gets the impression of an intensity that has outrun its supply-lines.