Home: Social Essays

Essays of the 1960s by a prominent African American voice who “demands rights—not conditional favors” (The New York Times Book Review). Amiri Baraka, also known as LeRoi Jones, was known not only as a poet, playwright, and founder of the Black Arts movement, but also as one of the most provocative voices of the civil rights era and beyond. These pieces, which span the years from 1960 to 1965, cover subjects ranging from Cuba to Malcolm X to street protests and soul food, and are accompanied by the author’s new introduction from 2009.