Amiri Baraka, one of the outstanding African American cultural figures of his generation, died last week at Newark’s Beth Israel hospital; he was 79. A poet, playwright, critic, and revolutionary activist, Baraka helped shape American political and cultural life since the late 1950s. For over 50 years he and his wife Amina Baraka played pivotal … Continue reading Amiri Baraka: 1934 – 2014