Amina Baraka
Amina Baraka | |
|---|---|
Baraka c. 1960s | |
| Born | Sylvia Robinson December 5, 1942 |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, inc. Ras Baraka |
Amina Baraka (born Sylvia Robinson; December 5, 1942) is an American poet, actress, author, community organizer, singer, dancer, and activist. Her poetic themes are about social justice, family, and women. Her poetry has been featured in anthologies including Unsettling America (1994).[1][2][3][4] She was active in the 1960s Black Arts Movement, as an artist.[5]
Biography
Early life
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and raised in Newark, New Jersey, she graduated in 1960 from Newark Arts High School. After graduating, she became a dancer, actress, and poet. As an artist, she became a part of the Black Arts Movement in Newark. She performed at the Cellar located at the Jazz Arts Society.
Baraka's mother and grandfather were African-American union organizers in Newark in the 1940s. Their apartment was a gathering place for neighborhood organizing and culture. Her grandparents were blues artists; they played the guitar, harmonica, and piano. Her grandmother was known for community mothering, looking after neighbors in the neighborhood, preparing meals, clothing, and bathing children.
Personal life
In 1959, when she was in high school, she became pregnant at sixteen and had to drop out of school. The next year, she married Walter Wilson with whom she had two daughters. She divorced him five years later.[6][7]
Career
Baraka was the founder of the African Free School in Newark, New Jersey, which was a liberation school (a concept by the Black activists of creating an alternative medium for students unable to attend regular educational institutions due to the school boycotts after Brown v. Board)[8] for community children. She is one of the founding members of the Newark Art Society in 1963. She wrote and performed dance dramas to music at the "loft" that later became known as the "Cellar". The Cellar, located at 22 Shipman Street in Newark, was the center for Jazz and Art in Newark. It was a collective of artists, and among the members were Art Williams, Bill Harris, Eddie Gladden, and Tom White. Many artists performed for the Jazz and Art society in Newark. Local musicians and artists from other parts of the country came to the "Cellar", including Marion Brown, Sun Ra, Ben Caldwell, Freddie Stringer, Charlie Mason, Tyrone Washington, Woody Shaw, Herb Morgan, Jimmy Anderson, Leo Johnson, and Larry Young.[7]
Baraka along with Nettie Rogers hosted musical arts, dance acts, and poetry readings at the Cellar.
In 1974, Baraka organized an African women's conference that was held at Rutgers University.[1]
In 1992, Amina and Amiri Baraka founded Kimako's Blues People, an art space that featured Newark artists.
In 1994, Baraka's poetry was in the anthology Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry.
In 1995, Baraka participated in the Black Women's United Front in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1998, Baraka was a founding member of the Black Radical Congress in Chicago, Illinois.
In 2001, Baraka's poetry is included in a collection called Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam.
Works
Poetry
Edited Works
- 1983: Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women (co-edited with Amiri Baraka)[1][5]
- 1987: The Music: Reflections on Jazz and Blues (co-edited with Amiri Baraka)[1][5]
- 1992: 5 Boptrees (co-edited with Amiri Baraka)[1][5]
Film credits
- 2002: Strange Fruit[1][9][10][5]
- 2006: The Pact[1][10][5]
- 2007: Keep it Clean[1][10][5]
- 2009: Comme tout le monde[10]
- 2016: Word Warriors III[10]
- 2016: Why is we Americans?[10]
- 2025: The Dutchman[10]
Onstage
She performed in many stage productions produced by Amiri Baraka.[5]
- A Black Mass[5]
- Slave Ship[5]
- Mad Heart[5]
- Home on the Range[5]
Recordings
- 2004: The Shani Project (co-produced with Amiri Baraka)[11]
- 2008: Variations in Time: A Jazz Perspective[5]
- 2017: Amina Baraka & the Red Microphone[1][12]
Director
- Blue Ark: The Word (co-directed with Amiri Baraka)[5]
Awards and honors
- 2015: Received a certification of appreciation from the Black Nia F.O.R.C.E. (Freedom Organization for Racial and Cultural Enlightenment).[1]
- 2015: Received a Lifetime Achievement award by the New York Friends of People's World newspaper.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Amina Baraka's Biography". The HistoryMakers. (Interview December 7, 2017.)
- ^ "Amina Baraka".
- ^ Simanga, Michael (February 2, 2019). Simanga, Michael (ed.). Amiri Baraka and the Congress of African People: History and Memory. Palgrave Macmillan US. pp. 79–84. doi:10.1057/9781137080653_8.
- ^ Gama, Raul da (November 2, 2017). "Amina Baraka & the Red Microphone".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Foundation, Poetry (February 1, 2019). "Amina Baraka". Poetry Foundation.
- ^ McMillon, Kim Cheryl (2019). The Women of the Black Arts Movement and the Rise of the Ancestors (Thesis). UC Merced.
- ^ a b "Amina Baraka - Queer Newark". queer.newark.rutgers.edu.
- ^ "Liberation School — for the people, by the people". IntegrateNYC. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ "Strange Fruit (2002)" – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Amina Baraka". IMDb.
- ^ Rambsy, H. "At 2003 reading, Baraka reflects on murders of his daughter and sister". Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Morrison, John (August 22, 2017). "Review: Amina Baraka & The Red Microphone". Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.