Baraka, Imamu Amiri

Baraka, Imamu Amiri (b. LeRoi Jones)

(1934–  ) poet, writer; born in Newark, N.J. He studied at Howard University (B.A. 1953), traveled widely, and taught at many institutions, notably the State University of New York: Long Island (1980). He published a number of works as LeRoi Jones. A revolutionary African-American activist, he became a Muslim and changed his name in 1967. Based in Newark, N.J., he has been a publisher (1958), and founder of a repertory theater (1965), and a community center (1966). In addition to his poetry, such as Reggae or Not! (1982), he has written plays, short stories, essays, and nonfiction.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.