Amiri Baraka

The modern poetry world lost one of its most divisive and beloved yesterday as Amiri Baraka died at the age of 79. Known as the father of the Black Arts movement, Baraka was a controversial figure who helped birth the Black Art movement of the late 1960’s and 70’s. Educated at Howard University, drummed out of the Air Force in 1954 for his communist leanings, Baraka went on to publish Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg at his Totem Publishing house in the Greenwich Village.

As a publisher, poet, and jazz critic, he was a leading figure in the Beat Generation. His works were widely read in the traditionally high brow, New York literary world as the equal of Kerouac and Ginsberg. After the assignation of Malcolm X, Baraka moved quickly away from the Beat poetry that he was publishing at Totem into the growing Black Nationalism movement. There he firmly embedded himself as its poet laureate. Many of his poems centered on urban life in Harlem during the 1960’s and 70’s focusing on the growing frustrations of African Americans. It was during this period that some of his most controversial poems were published

The History Podcast #2 - Camden, NJ

The History Podcast #2

Download Podcast - Camden, NJ

The History Podcast talks about Camden, New Jersey; it's either the greatest place ever or the worst place on Earth. It really all depends on your sense of humor or compassion for other human beings.

Matt Taibi's Rolling Stone article is our source material. Taibi's article is great, and the subject matter is amazing. What happens when a crime ridden town loses half of its police force? Yes! That happens, and a lot more. Things that you only think would happen in movies are happening right now in Camden, New Jersey.