On October seventh nineteen thirty-four a man named Leroy
Jones later known as Amiri Baraka was born. He would become
a respected poet and playwright in the state of New York and
New Jersey. Now you can read this page and learn
about him.
On October seventh nineteen thirty-four Leroy Jones was born
in Newark New Jersey. Leroy had a pretty good childhood. He
got good grades in school, got along with people in his
neighborhood white or black. But for the black and white
relationships the parents taught them to not like each other
and that was it. At his High School Barringer Prepatory
school was mostly white so he felt sort of isolated. Leroy
got offered many scholarships like, Holy Cross, Rutgers,
Newark, Seton Hall, and Lincoln. He chose Rutgers but
because it was even whiter than Barringer after a year he
transferred to a largely black school called Howard
University in Washington D.C. When he graduated he went to
work with a white woman named Hettie Cohen. They later
married and had two daughters named Kellie and Lisa. In
nineteen sixty four Jones produced four plays Dutchman, The
baptism, The slave and the Toilet. In nineteen sixty five he
divorced Hettie and moved to Harlem to start an organization
called BARTS which stands for Black Arts Repertory
Theater/School. Also his leader/teacher Malcolm X is shot
dead. In nineteen sixty seven he was arrested in the Newark
rebellion. Also he changed his named to Amiri Baraka. Now a
days he is writing poems and speaking to colleges in his
area.
Amiri Baraka was a peaceful yet aggressive man. He was
peaceful in the sense that he did not like viloence. He was
aggressive in the sense of how he wrote his plays and
poems. As you can see Amiri Baraka was very helpful in the
fight for black rights.
There was a man named Leroy Jones
Who was black in color and made of bones
He went to many prominent schools
Where white people thought they made the rules
The Air Force made him proud and true
But music and poetry is what he new
He married twice and had some heirs
Changed his name and got some stares
Amiri Baraka made his name known
With critics on music in magazines that were shown
He lost his grandfather and Malcolm X
He new what was expected next
To teach African-Americans about the arts
Music,history,plays and political parts
Political freedom is such a great fight
No matter the color......black or white
He lives in Newark, I'm happy to say
and still fights for blacks to this very day
Bernotas, Bob
Amiri Baraka Poet and Playwright
New York: Chelsea House Publishers
www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/baraka/baraka.htm
www.umich.edu/~eng499/people/baraka.html
Bibliography