On This Day in History

On This Day: Amiri Baraka, Father of the Black Arts Movement, Was Born in Newark

Clay Cane
October 7, 2025

Reading Time: 2 minutes

(AURN News) — On Oct. 7, 1934, playwright, poet and activist Amiri Baraka was born in Newark, New Jersey.

Born Everett LeRoi Jones, he changed his name after the assassination of Malcolm X, embracing his African heritage and a deeper political awakening.

Playwright, poet and activist LeRoi Jones, whose play “Dutchman” is playing off-Broadway, is shown in New York City on June 30, 1964. Originally named Everett LeRoi Jones, he changed his name to Imamu Ameer Baraka in 1967, and later to Amiri Baraka. (AP Photo)

A gifted scholar, Baraka graduated from high school early, studied at New York University and Howard University, and served in the Air Force before being discharged for reading communist literature.

He co-founded a poetry magazine and later published “Blues People” and the award-winning play “Dutchman.”

Imamu Amiri Baraka, aka LeRoi Jones, Chairman of the Congress of African People, speaks to Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, and Betty Shabazz, center, widow of Malcolm X, at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic at the 142nd Street Armory in New York, March 26, 1972. PUSH stands for People United to Save Humanity. (AP Photo/Jim Wells)

As the founder of the Black Arts Movement, Baraka inspired a generation to use art as a form of resistance and cultural affirmation.

He died in Newark in 2014 at age 79, leaving behind a legacy of unapologetic Black expression.

This March 12, 1972 file photo shows poet and social activist Amiri Baraka speaking during the Black Political Convention in Gary, Ind. Baraka was a Beat poet, black nationalist and Marxist revolutionary known for his blues-based, fist-shaking manifestos. (AP Photo/Julian C. Wilson, File)

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Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane