Amina Baraka | |
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| Born | Sylvia Robinson (1942-12-05)December 5, 1942 (age 82) |
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| Children | 7, inc.Ras Baraka |
Amina Baraka (bornSylvia 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 includingUnsettling America (1994).[1][2][3][4]She was active in the 1960sBlack Arts Movement, as an artist.[5]
Born inCharlotte, North Carolina, and raised inNewark, New Jersey, she graduated in 1960 fromNewark Arts High School. After graduating, she became a dancer, actress, and poet. As an artist, she became a part of theBlack 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.
Baraka was the founder of the African Free School in Newark, New Jersey, which was a liberation school 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", includingMarion Brown,Sun Ra,Ben Caldwell, Freddie Stringer, Charlie Mason,Tyrone Washington,Woody Shaw, Herb Morgan, Jimmy Anderson, Leo Johnson, andLarry Young.[6]
Baraka along with Nettie Rogers hosted musical arts, dance acts, and poetry readings at the Cellar.[7]
In 1974, Baraka organized an African women's conference that was held atRutgers University.[1]
In 1978, Amina and her spouseAmiri Baraka authored a collection of poems entitledSongs for the Masses.
In 1983 and 1987, Amina and Amiri Baraka co-editedConfirmation: An Anthology of African American Women, andThe Music: Reflections on Jazz and Blues.
In 1992, Amina and Amiri Baraka founded Kimako's Blues People, an art space that featured Newark artists.
In 1992, Amina and Amiri Baraka, co-edited the poetry book5 Boptrees.
In 1994, Baraka's poetry was in the anthologyUnsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry.
In 1995, Baraka participated in the Black Women's United Front inDetroit, Michigan.
In 1998, Baraka was a founding member of theBlack Radical Congress in Chicago, Illinois.
In 2001, Baraka's poetry is included in a collection calledBum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam.
In 2014, she published a collection of her poetry titledBlues in All Hues.[1]
Stage productions in Amiri Baraka'sA Black Mass,Slave Ship,Mad Heart, andHome on the Range.
Amina married Walter Vernon Mason in 1960. At that time she was known as Sylvia Robinson. They had two daughters, Vera and Wanda.
In 1966, Amina marriedAmiri Baraka, who at that time was known as LeRoi Jones. They have five children. Their sonRas Baraka became the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.
In 2015, Baraka received a certification of appreciation from the Black Nia F.O.R.C.E. (Freedom Organization for Racial and Cultural Enlightenment).
In 2015, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the New York Friends ofPeople's World newspaper.
In 2022, Amina Baraka received an Unsung Hero award from 211 Community Impact, a non-profit that was co-founded by Dupre' Kelly ofLords of the Underground.
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