When researching the Black Arts Movement, it is virtually impossible to find a source that does not include the name Amiri Baraka. Baraka changed his name from LeRoi Jones after publishing Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro-American Writingwith Larry Neal in 1968.[1] He was a prosperous author, publishing a number of poems and plays along with other works. I'll be looking at some of his poetry and outlining it for you. Click here and here for links to his poetry and a biography. Baraka's poetry was often conversational in style; when reading it, you feel like he's talking to you, asking questions, and making jokes. One of the poems I like best is "Monday in B-Flat."
"I can pray all day & God wont come.
But if I call 911 The Devil Be here
in a minute!"
I like the structure of the poem, and how it still feels joking while portraying a very serious sentiment. Baraka, and others of the time period, was highly suspicious of the intentions of the police, and wary of the police brutality that was very common. I think that he's also questioning faith here too. Baraka converted to Islam and then later became less religious, [2] which I think is reflected here, in his praying all day and not getting any response.
In another poem that I like, "A New Reality is Better than a New Movie!" Baraka indicts the system that keeps poor black men down and builds up rich white men. He questions how one can "survive with no money in a money world, of making the boss/100,000 for every 200/dollars/you get" and having to pay rent to his brother. This poem is more fierce than the one I mentioned above, though still humorous. Baraka suggests that the money you spend to buy a car goes to buying the salesman's wife a "foam rubber rhinestone set of boobies." Through the humor, though, his message of desperation is clear. Though the system is wrong, people are oppressed and treated horribly, he says "You don't like it? Whatcha/gonna do, about it??" Baraka's anger at the system and his hopelessness is apparent in this poem.
One of the most chilling poems that I read, "Incident," Baraka describes a killing. I'm not sure if he is referring to a specific murder, but I think that it would be a more powerful poem without a specific inspiration. Murders of black men and women, for no reason, and by an unnamed killer-or one who was let off by a jury- were all too common during Baraka's time, and this poem could be applied to a number of murders, I'm sure. This almost reminded me of Dylan's song about Medgar Evers, "Only a Pawn in Their Game," for it's similarity in social commentary, and for the murder (Evers was shot in front of his home by a shooter hidden in the bushes nearby).
Overall, the theme I noticed most in Baraka's poetry was a distrust of authorities. I think his poems do a beautiful job of conveying the dissatisfaction that black people, and other minorities, felt about the inequality of the time.
In class last Friday we watched a documentary about hip hop music’s development. One of the major bands that were presented in the documentary was Public Enemy. They are an American rap group with political messages in their lyrics but their songs also has a dense layered sound and that is probably why they are so famous and influential. The original members were Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour), Flavor Flav (William Drayton), Terminator X (Norman Lee Rogers), and Professor Griff (Richard Giffin. The band was formed 1982 by a group of African Americans. Public Enemy brought radical black political ideology to pop music in an unprecedented fashion on albums. “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” is known as Public Enemy’s masterpiece. The album has messages of the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X.
“Clear all the madness, I'm not a racist Preach to teach to all” This line is from the song “Don’t Believe the Hype” by public enemy
I personally think this line is about Malcolm X and how he preached to the people in Harlem. Malcolm X was a very influential person and Public Enemy actually uses some of his quotes in their songs. In "Night of the Living Baseheads" Malcolm X's quote, "Too black, too strong," is used and it plays twice, They embraces the quote as it’s their own statement. The Public enemy’s open admiration for the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan shows was very important for their music but it also brought some problem with the Jewish organizations. While Public Enemy's activism inspired other artists to take up topical themes, the group's influence waned in the early 1990s as younger, more “ghettocentric” performers such as N.W.A. and Snoop Doggy Dogg came to the fore. So Public Enemy was an important group for the hip hop culture and they were inspired by many different things like Malcolm X.
sources:
"Public Enemy." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2010 .
N.W.A, or N***** With Attitude, was a group of a young rappers that are most famous for the songs, “Fuck the Police”, “Gangsta Gangsta”, and “Straight outta Compton”. As Part of the 80s rap movement, N.W.A infused their music with loud beats and shrill sounds and made it clear that their political beliefs were against the white oppression that plagued their lives since they were born. Tired of police brutality and poverty all around them, N.W.A took it upon themselves to raise awareness for these issues and to strongly criticize certain organizations that were responsible for these issues[1].
Formed in 1986, N.W.A’s members include Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E. All of which came into rap for their love of hip-hop and free verse. Ice-Cube, however, came from a middle class family in South Central and Easy-E achieved his success by creating funds through his occupation as a drug dealer. Dr. Dre came into the mix meeting Ice-Cube and establishing a common love for rap. All three of these rappers worked together to create something bigger than themselves and something that still is iconic today[2].
[1] Simon and Schuster. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. 20. Feb. 2010.
In the 1980s, the African American community was still experiencing social and economic problems, even though twenty years earlier, the Civil Rights Act was passed and the Jim Crowe Laws were abolished. Especially in the urban center of America, African Americans experienced plagues of poverty, police brutality, crime, and even experienced poor living conditions. This was a result of a lack of attention and commitment by the government to black communities, even though the Kerner Report stated that compassionate, massive, and sustained commitment to racial equality and social justice was needed to quench the fires that burned in the cities and to appease those responsible for the uprisings of the 1960’s[1]. The government throughout the nineteen-sixties and nineteen-seventies ignored these suggestions and created a lots of anti-government and anti-White ideas amongst African Americans. With White oppression weighing down on many young Black African Americans and police brutality common in urban centers, a new group of young black men and women rose up with music as their medium of communication[2].
This new genre of music, called hip-hop, incorporated beats from the late-seventies funk era with a spoken word movement that reflected old African folk ideas. In this new music, political and social ideas were the subjects of the songs and were used and also provided a strong base for what the hip hop movement was and became as the eighties went on. Like the Black arts movement before it, hip-hop took the political issues of the time and openly protested through the use of poetry set to music. Issues such as police brutality, poverty, and crime were topics rapped about most frequently. However as hip-hop evolved and progressed more artists talked about the fame and materialism that accompanied hip hop and the lifestyle of being famous. Two of the most famous group for political rap are N.W.A and Public Enemy. Both of these groups took the ideas of Malcolm X and the Black nationalism movement and infused these ideas into their music. Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” is very cliché, but great example of political rap of this time. In the intro part of the song, Malcom X’s voice can be heard giving a speech on black nationalism and unity. Then Chuck D begins to preach the ideas of standing up for black rights and stopping the progress of white oppression.
One of the main reasons why this new movement came about also is that this generation of rappers and musicians were the first generation of the post-Jim Crowe Law period. This, of course, meant that this generation never felt the limited freedom of Jim Crowe and so when they all realize that something wasn’t right and the government was not protecting them, they rose up and spoke out[3].
[1]“New Frontiers: Politics and Social Change in the 1960s.”W.W Norton Document Overview.W.W. Norton. 14 Feb. 2010 http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/archive/resoun
[2] Luisa, Tucker Maria. “Where Politics and Hip Hope Collide.” Alternet. 20 Feb. 2010.
With the Civil Rights Movement being set into motion in 1955, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964being adopted African- Americans were well on their way to a whole new world. Many leaders such asW.E.B. DuBois, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., led the Black community in breaking down barriers and reaching the unattainable goal: Equality. These men did the unthinkable as racial activists through the arts of poetry, writing, speech, and outreach. The movement, once started, could not be hindered and would change how African- Americans would be viewed forever.
However, not only men made great contributions to this cause. Many women made their presence known as activists within this time period, especially Rosa Parks. By not conforming to the demand that she move to the back of the bus, Parks sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycottand her action served as a prominent symbol of resistance to racial segregation for the movement. As the secretary for the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, she was not ignorant to the disrespect and lack of rights that African- Americans received everywhere. Born on February 4, 1913 Rosa Parks was raised in a society where racism was the norm, and she was one who would do anything to change that. For her act she took on the penalty of losing her seamstress job, but accepted the action as a private citizen who was just "tired of giving in." Later nicknamed the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement" by the US Congress, Parks unquestionably did her part for Black Rights. When the Black Arts Movement began, Rosa Parks served as an example for more women to arise as leaders. Two pioneering women who were, and still are, pivotal in the Civil Rights arena are Nikki Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez.
Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943 and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. A survivor of lung cancer, Virginia Tech professor, and mother of one, Giovanni has lived a colorful life. Receiving her bachelor of arts degree in 1967 from Fisk University, her life was (and still is) consumed by her love of poetry. Many of Nikki Giovanni's earliest and most renowned works were inspired by the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements. She was fully committed to the movement as well as the idea of black power.Black Feeling, Black Talk (1967), Black Judgment (1968), and Re: Creation (1970) are some of her most famous works that truly expressed the emotions, thoughts, and desires of African- American society in the late 60's and early 70's. It is said that, "hercontentwasurgentlyrevolutionaryandsuffused with deliberateinterpretationofexperience through a black consciousness." Nikki Giovanni's poetry has made her one of the most distinguished poets of the Black Arts Movement and her work can still be found today. Always preventing the truth as she sees it, her website claims that she, "remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality."
Wilsonia Benita Driveronia aka Sonia Sanchez is an American poet, playwright, and professor who is noted forherblackactivism. A zealous woman, Sanchez was born September 6, 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama. When her mother died during her childhood, her father had moved the family to Harlem, setting her up to be involved in the Harlem Renaissance and bigger picture of the Black Arts Movement. She received her B.A. in political science from Hunter College in 1955 and later briefly studied writing at New York University. Her works pushed the limits, especially Homecoming (1969) which "containsconsiderableinvectiveagainst “white America” and “white violence." She also frequently wrote about what she called "neo-slavery" and average blacks as socially and psychologicallyunfree beings. Her other controversial works include topics of sexism, child abuse, and generational and class conflicts. Now working at Temple University, Sachez's contentious work and outreach can still be found today.
These women, as well as many others, took the lead in activism for a cause they had passion: civil rights. Whether involved directly in the Civil Rights Movement, like Parks, or more indirectly involved through their deep and controversial works within the Harlem Renaisance and Black Arts Movement, like Giovanni and Sanchez, these women showed their true colors. Giovanni and Sanchez showed their true colors, no matter how unpopular or controversial and set forward on a path to the one thing they always desired: Equality.
Sources:
Bodenner, Chris. "Civil Rights Act of 1964." Issues & Controversies in American History. Facts On File News Services, 12 June 2006. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
Bodenner, Chris. "Harlem Renaissance." Issues & Controversies in American History. Facts On File News Services, 19 July 2006. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
"Giovanni, Nikki." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2010 .
Giovanni, Nikki. "Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni- Poet, Virginia Tech University Professor." NikkiGiovanni.com (2010): n. pag. Web. 18 Feb 2010. .
Luker, Ralph. "Civil Rights Movement." Americans at War. Ed. John Resch. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 4 pp. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Wyoming Seminary. 18 Feb. 2010.
"Sanchez, Sonia." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2010 .
Poets and musicians of the Black Arts movement were compared to preachers. The poets were as important to the people as the preacher in the church and that was because they gave a language to what was happening with black folks at that time. But the poets and musicians were influenced by the preachers and the religion, especially the Islam.
Amiri Baraka was a famous Black Arts movement writer and as I said in the last post, was Amiri very influenced by Malcolm X. For the reason that he was very influenced by Malcolm X, he moved to Harlem after Malcolm X’s assassination. But he also changed his name from Leroi Jones to Amiri Baraka so that he could support Black Nationalism. After he moved to Harlem he started to become more active in the civil rights and could therefore found the Black Arts Repertory Theatre in Harlem in 1965. He also published a lot of work during this period, such as the Black Art (1966) and the Black Magic (1969). One thing Amiri Baraka did very well was to present the experiences and anger of black Americans with an affirmation of black life. Amiri Baraka is therefore a perfect example on how religion affected people in the Blacks Arts movement, because his belief made him move to Harlem, where he could write and get active.
“When the revolution comes Jesus Christ is gonna be standing on the corner of Lenox Ave and 125th St trying to catch the first gypsy cab out of Harlem when the revolution comes When the revolution comes Jew merchants will give away matza balls and gifilta fish to anyone they see with afros Frank Shieffin will give away the Apollo to the first person he sees wearing a blue dashiki when the revolution comes” When The Revolution Comes Written By Abiodun Oyewole
The Black Arts movement was not entirely separate from organized religion. Abiodun Oyewole was one of The Last Poets and he wrote poetry inspired by his practice in the African religion, Yoruba. Abiodun Oyewole was born as Charles Davis Jr. on February 1948. He is a poet, a teacher and one of the founding members of the legendary American music and spoken-word group; The Last Poets. The group developed into what can be said to be the first ever hip hop group. The group was born on May 19, 1968, Malcolm X's birthday, when Abiodun and the two others members, David Nelson, Gylan Kain, read poetry in tribute to Malcolm X. The group was based on Black Nationalism. The group quickly became recognized in the African-American communities. You can say that they were a big influence to the hip hop we have today.
Religion has an amazing impact upon people; it is maybe because every human being on this planet believes in something. During the Black Arts movement religious wisdom and stories people heard from their grandmothers were mixed into influential messages about the black’s rights. Black artists produced poetry, music, and literature that were written by, for and about black people. It was the things that affected the black people during that time that was expressed in the poetry, music and arts. And even if the people didn’t believe in religion, it would still make an impact on them.
Malcolm X was a very important person for the Black Arts movement. He was an African American leader and a famous person in the Nation of Islam. He spoke about the concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism in the early 1960s, which was why he became a very influential person during the Black Arts movement. Religion was very important not just because it made them believe that goodness existed but also because it was a way of gathering people, so that opinions could be spread. The black people living during the Black arts movement did not have many rights at all, but at least they had as much right as any other person on the planet to pray and believe in God. Malcolm was born in a family with six children and he was only six yearsold when his father died after being hit by a streetcar, quite possiblythevictim of murder by whites. His father was the Rev. Earl Little, a Baptist minister and former supporter of the early Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.
Malcolm went to a school in Lansing, but he dropped out in the eighth grade because his teacher told him that he should become a carpenter instead of a lawyer. After that Malcolm moved to Harlem, a part in New York City and got involved in criminal things. But it was when he went to prison he started becoming the Malcolm X that he is famous for. In prison he underwent a conversion that eventually led him to join the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black Nationalism. When Malcolm joined he had to quit smoking and gambling and refused to eat pork in keeping with the Nation's dietary restrictions. And he started to educate himself by reading books and even memorizing a dictionary. And by following Nation tradition, he replaced his last name which was “Little,” with an “X,” which was acommon name among followers of Nation of Islam.
After the conversion Malcolm X started to become the amazing influential person, who was one of the most important leaders of the Black Arts movement. He helped to lead the Nation of Islam during the period of its greatest growth and influence. He met Elijah Muhammad and began organizing temples for the Nation in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, but also in cities in southern cities. He also talked about the Nation's racial policies about the inherent evil of whites and the natural superiority of blacks. This made it possible for him to become the minister of Boston Temple No. 11, which he founded; he was later rewarded with the post of minister of Temple No. 7 in Harlem, which was the largest and most important temple in the Nation after the Chicago headquarters.
Malcolm X preached about the unexpressed anger, frustration, and bitterness of African Americans during the major phase of the civil rights movement from 1955 to 1965. He spoke on the streets of Harlem and at major universities such as Harvard University. Malcolm with his intellect, nice humor and enthusiastic intolerance made him a very good leader of American society. Malcolm also had the guts to criticize Luther King, Jr.'s when it came to central notions of integration and nonviolence. Malcolm wanted to point out that the most important issues were black identity, integrity, and independence. Through the influence of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X helped to change the terms used to refer to African Americans from “Negro” and “coloured” to “black” and “Afro-American.”
On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm was assassinated while delivering a lecture at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem; three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the murder. His leadership, ideas, and speeches contributed to the development of Black Nationalist Ideology and the Black Power movement. One month after Malcolm X's assassination, the highly respected writer LeRoi Jones, who is also known as Amiri Baraka, moved from Manhattan's Lower East Side to Harlem, where he founded the Black Arts Repertory Theatre-School. At that moment, the Black Arts Movement was born.
References:
"MalcolmX." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2010 <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9050305>.
The Faith Project. "The Black Arts Movement; 1946-1966: from civil rights to
black power." This Far by Fair-PBS. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS),
2003. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. p_8.html>.
