In Memoriam
Amiri Baraka, former poet laureate and author, dead at 79
The controversial writer, activist, and former poet laureate of New Jersey has died.
Amiri Baraka, a controversial writer, activist, and former poet laureate of New Jersey has died.
Most known as a poet, Baraka was also a music critic and a dynamic playwright. His play, “Dutchman,” premiered in 1964 and received an Obie Award. Baraka was born Everett LeRio Jones in 1934 in Newark, NJ.
He attended Rutgers University and Howard University, spent three years in the U.S. Air Force, and returned to New York City to attend Columbia University and the New School for Social Research. He was also a professor at several universities.
He was hospitalized in December for an unknown condition.
Amiri Baraka was 79.
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine®
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Rude Boys founding member Melvin ‘Boy Baby’ Sephus dies at 61
David Crowley becomes Wisconsin’s first Black governor
Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history in Georgia as first Black woman to be elected governor
TikTok star Marcel Johnson dies at 32 after courageous battle with stage 4 stomach cancer
Marcia Ann Gillespie, groundbreaking editor who amplified Black women’s voices, dies at 82
Justice for Nolan Wells Reward Fund raises $300k
Buried history: Documentary uncovers Black slave cemetery hidden under Staten Island shopping center
What happened to Chantel Brooks? Police, family continue to seek answers for woman missing since July
Boston rapper Rahim “V Knuckles” Muhammad dies at 46 after fight with brain cancer
Nolan Wells’ family, national leaders renew call for federal investigation into teen’s death
Woody Shaw’s Avant‑Garde ‘Song of Songs’ returns to vinyl after 50 years through Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series
Kansas City’s Copper Boyz Ranch provides youth violence‑prevention through horsemanship
Nolan Wells’ family demands ‘thorough’ investigation: “What we’ve been told does not make sense”
Peabo Bryson, Grammy‑winning voice behind two Disney classics, dies at 75
OWN greenlights first-ever ‘Belle Collective’ spinoff Belle Collective: Birmingham
-
Social Justice2 weeks agoBlack toddler reportedly overlooked at Connecticut library event, viral video sparks investigation
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoBeloved married father killed in apparent road rage shooting on the George Washington Bridge, says prosecutors
-
Social Justice2 weeks agoCouple files racial discrimination lawsuit after real estate broker’s alleged “Ugh. They Are Black” text
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoDocumentary And Counting explores Black women’s workforce exodus
-
Community2 weeks agoNAACP launches National Black Man Voter Day with week of action aimed at mobilizing 100,000 Black men
-
Health & Wellness2 weeks agoAuthor facing multiple surgeries after breast cancer diagnosis
-
New Jersey1 week agoWest Orange mayoral candidate under investigation after sign removal allegations but she says she had permission from the property owner to remove them
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoNorth Carolina family mourns 11-year-old Kylen Baldwin killed in hit-and-run scooter crash