Komozi Woodard Amiri Baraka collection

Descriptive Summary
Repository:	Auburn Avenue Research Library
Creator:	Woodard, Komozi
Title:	Komozi Woodard Amiri Baraka collection
Dates:	Bulk, 1960-1988
Dates:	1913-1998 1960-1988
Quantity:	12.0 linear ft.
Abstract:	The collection consists of materials from the years 1913 through 1998 that document African American author and activist Amiri Baraka and were gathered by Dr. Komozi Woodard in the course of his research. The extensive documentation includes poetry, organizational records, print publications, articles, plays, speeches, personal correspondence, oral histories, as well as some personal records. The materials cover Baraka's involvement in the politics in Newark, N.J. and in Black Power movement organizations such as the Congress of African People, the National Black Conference movement, the Black Women's United Front. Later materials document Baraka's increasing involvement in Marxism.
Identification:	aarl01-001

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Biographical/Historical Note

Dr. Komozi Woodard was born July 7, 1949 in Newark, NJ. He is the son Theodore and Helen Collier Woodard. His father was a meatpacker and his mother a school teacher. He began his college work at Dickinson College where her received his B.A. in 1971 He continued at Rutgers University (1984-86). Woodard also attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received his M.A., and Ph.D. Dr Woodard's dissertation which is entitled The Making of the NewArk: Imamu Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) The Newark Congress of African People, and The Modern Black Convention Movement: A History of the Black Revolt and The New Nationalism, 1966-1976 exemplifies Dr. Woodard's tremendous interest in African American history, politics, and culture. He places an emphasis on ghetto formation and anti-colonial movements. Woodard is professor of American history at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and the author of A Nation Within: Baraka and Black Power Politics. During the Black Power Movement, Woodard served as head of economic development for the Temple of Kawaida in Newark, New Jersey, as editor of Unity and Struggle, the organ of the Congress of African People; and ultimately as the leading academic scholar of Baraka's political career.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection of Amiri Baraka materials was made available by Dr. Komozi Woodard. The collection consists of rare works of poetry, organizational records, print publications, over one hundred articles, poems, plays, and speeches by Baraka, a small amount of personal correspondence, and oral histories. The collection has been arranged into eighteen series. These series are: (1) Black Arts Movement; (2) Black Nationalism; (3) Correspondence; (4) Newark (New Jersey); (5) Congress of African People; (6) National Black Conferences and National Black Assembly; (7) Black Women's United Front; (8) Student Organization for Black Unity; (9) African Liberation Support Committee; (10) Revolutionary Communist League; (11) African Socialism; (12) Black Marxists; (13) National Black United Front; (14) Miscellaneous Materials, 1978-1988; (15) Serial Publications; (16) Oral Histories; (17) Woodard's Office Files; and (18) Audio Visual. Dr. Woodard collected these documents during his career as an activist in Newark, New Jersey.

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Arrangement

Organized into eighteen series:

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Index Terms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Komozi Woodard Amiri Baraka papers. Archives Division, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.

Provenance

Purchased by the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History, Archives Division in 2001.

Processing Information

Processed by Anita Martin

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Restrictions

Restrictions of Access

Due to preservation concerns, researchers are required to use the UAP microfilm copy.

Restrictions on Use

Prior permission from the Research Library must be obtained in writing before any of this collection can be published or reproduced.

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Container List

 

Series I: Black Arts Movement, 1961-1998
This series includes both rare and popular materials from Baraka's years as a leader of the Harlem-based Black Arts movement. Two articles by Baraka's associate Larry Neal, one discussing Baraka's literary career and the other discussing the importance of culture in the black liberation struggle, serve as an introduction to this series. Several issues of the periodical Black Theatre include poems by Baraka; articles by Neal, Maulana Ron Karenga, and Ed Bullins; and plays by Sonia Sanchez, Marvin X, Herbert Stokes, and Baraka (LeRoi Jones). Other literary material can be found in two issues of The Cricket, a magazine edited by Baraka and Neal. This series also includes works of poetry by Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, Mae Jackson, Sylvia Jones, Jewel C. Latimore, Don L. Lee, Sonia Sanchez, and Marvin X. The Black Arts movement series documents the wellspring of artistic accomplishment among African Americans as well as a profound political consciousness and militancy among the artists.
Box	Fldr
1	1	Black Arts: - by Le Roi Jones, 1961-1965
	2	Black Theater, 1961-1965
	3	Black Theatre: published by the New Lafayette Theater, 1969-1970
	4	TDR The Drama Review published by New York University, n.d.
	5	The Cricket, Black Music In Evolution, 1968 1969
	6	Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School, Harlem, 1965-1966 1998
	7	Poetry: Afro Arts: Anthology of Our Black Selves, 1966
	8	Imanu Amiri Baraka, " A Black Value System,", 1969
	9	Poetry: Imamu Amiri Baraka, Hard Facts, 1973-1975
	10	Poetry: Imamu Amiri Baraka, It's Nation Time, 1970
	11	Poetry: Imamu Amiri Baraka, Spirit Reach, 1972
	12	Poetry: Amiri Baraka, The Writer and Social Responsibility, 1981-1985
	13	Poetry: Nikki Giovanni, Black Judgement, 1968
	14	Poetry: Mae Jackson, Can I Poet With You, 1969
	15	Poetry: Sylvia Jones, Songs for the Masses, 1978
	16	Poetry: Jewel C. Latimore, Images in Black, 1967 1969
	17	Poetry: Don L. Lee, Black Words That Say: Don't Cry, Scream, 1969
	18	Poetry: Sonia Sanchez, We a BaddDDD People, 1970
	19	Poetry: Marvin X, Fly to Allah: Poems, 1969; The Son of Man: Proverbs, 1969
	20	Poetry: Abiodun Oyewole, Rooted in Soil, 1983, 1978

 

Series II: Black Nationalism,, 1964-1977
This series consists of several important theoretical writings on Black Nationalism and suggests the important influence of Maulana Ron Karenga on Baraka's development. Baraka's article "A Black Value System" explains the seven guiding principles of Maulana Ron Karenga and the US Organization. These principles are also defined in two articles by Karenga: "7 Principles of US Maulana Karenga and the Need for a Black Value System" and "Kitabu: Beginning Concepts in Kawaida." This series concludes with a pamphlet by Muhammad Ahmad that discusses many aspects of Black Nationalism including the roles of youth and women and the importance of literature and art.
Box	Fldr
2	1	Baraka, "A Black value System", 1969
	2	The Quotable Karenga, 1967
	3	Karenga, "7 Principles of US Maulana Karenga and the Need for a Black Value System,", 1969
	4	"Kitabu: Beginning Concepts in Kawaida,", 1971
	5	African Free School Coloring Book, Reflections of the Sun, 1972
	6	Black Power Speeches, 1964-1968
	7	Muhammad Ahmad, "Basic Tenets of Revolutionary Black Nationalism,", 1977

 

Series III: Correspondence, 1967-1973

This brief series includes a small amount of Baraka's personal correspondence. There are letters from Baraka to Maulana Ron Karenga and Kenneth Gibson and letters to Baraka from Mfanasekaya P. Gqobose, Paul Bomani, and Walter Rodney. The correspondence indicates Baraka's interest in cultural nationalism and some of his efforts to establish ties between Africans and African Americans.

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3

1

Correspondence - Baraka Correspondence, 1967-1973 n.d.

 

Series IV: Newark (New Jersey), 1913-1980
This series documents Baraka's role in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, during the riot of 1967 and his subsequent activism in Newark. In Newark, Baraka founded a number of community-based initiatives in attempts to deal with wretched housing conditions, failing schools, and obstructions to economic opportunities. The majority of the documentation in this series pertains to Baraka's efforts to turn the city into a NewArk, particularly via the Kawaida Towers apartment building project and the related NJR-32 urban renewal project. There are also several folders of newspaper clippings on Newark politics, including the 1970 mayoral election and the victory of Kenneth Gibson, and the riot in Newark's Puerto Rican community in 1974. Researchers should note that Baraka's activism in Newark is also covered in issues of Black NewArk and Unity and Struggle.
Box	Fldr
3	2	Newark, Background Information, General, 1975
	3	Newark, Background Information, Politics.
	4	Newark Riot, 1967
	5	Newark, Black Power Conference, 1967
	6	Committee for Unified Newark (CFUN), n.d.
	7	Committee for Unified Newark, Kawaida Concepts, 1971 n.d.
	8	Critique of "Super Fly,", [1972]
	9	Newark, Master Plans, 1913 1964
	10	Kawaida Towers, 1973
	11	Kawaida Towers Inquiry Packet Major, 1972-1974
	12	Kawaida Towers, 1972-1974
	13	Kawaida Towers, Major Topic: Construction., 1973
	14	Kawaida Towers: New Jersey Housing Finance Agency, 1974-1975
	15	Kawaida Towers: New Jersey Housing Finance Agency evaluation of Kawaida Towers, 1975-1976
	16	Newark, Newspaper Clippings- Politics LeRoi Jones; Martin Luther King Jr.; Anthony Imperiale; North Ward Citizens Committee; Kenneth Gibson, 1968
	17	Newark, Newspaper Clippings-: Politics; Kenneth Gibson; Hugh J. Addonizio, 1969-1970
	18	Newark, Newspaper Clippings, - 1970 mayoral election, 1970
	19	Newark, Newspaper Clippings, 1972
	19	Major Topics: Population characteristics; New Jersey redistricting plan; politics; Peter W. Rodino
	20	Newark, Newspaper Clippings - Puerto Rican Riot, 1974
	21	Newark, Puerto Rican Riot, 1974
	22	Project Area Committee (PAC) (NJR-32), 1972
	23	Project Area Committee (PAC) (NJR-32), Hekalu Mwalimu Major Topic: Urban renewal project, 1973
	24	Project Area Committee (PAC) (NJR-32), Major Topics: Urban renewal project;, 1974-1975
	25	Newark, Kawaida Towers, Project Area Committee (PAC) Stationery, n.d.
	26	Newark, Newspaper Clippings, 1979 n.d.
	26	Major Topics: Kenneth Gibson; John F. Cryan; Harry Lerner.
	27	Newark, Newspaper Clippings, (1980's), 1980

 

Series V: Congress of African People, 1960-1976
In 1970 Baraka founded the Congress of African People (CAP) in order to advance his own vision of African cultural nationalism. This vision was particularly influenced by African leaders such as Julius Nyerere, Amilcar Cabral, and Ahmed Sékou Touré and by the African American cultural nationalist Maulana Ron Karenga. This series contains a wealth of CAP documents and pamphlets, most written by Baraka, ranging from detailed policy and philosophical thoughts to statements at CAP political events and meetings. CAP's campaign against police brutality, the Boston school integration impasse, the Sixth Pan-African Congress, and the role of women in the black freedom struggle are some of the topics covered in this series. In the mid-i 970s Baraka transformed CAP into a more purely Marxist organization. This created conflict in CAP between the Marxists and the cultural nationalists and eventually caused the demise of GAP. Other material pertaining to CAP can be found in issues of Unity and Struggle, the official newspaper of CAP.
Box	Fldr
4	1	Congress of African People, Stationery, n.d.
	2	Congress of African People, Chronology, 1960-1976
	3	Congress of African People, Unity and Struggle Distribution List, 1975
	4	FBI Report on Baraka regarding Congress of African People, 1970
	4	Principal Correspondent: J. Edgar Hoover.
	5	Congress of African People, Politican Liberation Council, Organizing Manual, 1971
	6	Congress of African People, Organizing Manual, 1972
	7	Congress of African People, 1972
	7	Major Topics:Ideology
	8	Congress of African People - Minutes of April 5 meeting; speech of economic development in Africa by Julius K. Nyerere at Sudanese Socialist Union Headquarters, 1973
	9	Congress of African People, Major Topics: Celebration of Leo Baraka; Afrikan Women's Conference; report on central council meeting, 1974 (1)
	10	Congress of African People, Major Topics: Baraka, "Revolutionary Party: Revolutionary Ideology", 1974(2)
	11	Congress of African People, Baraka, "Crisis in Boston: A Black Revolutionary Analysis of the Ruling Class Conspiracy to Agitate Racial Violence Around Busing in Boston, 1974
	12	Congress of African People, Internal Divisions, 1974-1975
	13	Congress of African People, February-April 1975
	14	Congress of African People, July-December 1975
	15	Congress of African People, 1975
	16	Congress of African People, "Stop Killer Cops: Struggle Against Police Brutality,", 1975
	17	Congress of African People, Housing in Newark, 1975
	18	Congress of African People, Major Topic: Baraka report on May Day forum, 1976
	19	Congress of African People, Cultural Nationalism and Value System, thirtieth anniversary of US Organization, n.d.
	20	Congress of African People, Cultural Nationalism, Kawaida, n.d.
	21	Congress of African People, Procedures for conducting a black political conference;, n.d.
	22	Congress of African People, Publications, 1973-1974 n.d.

 

Series VI: National Black Conferences and National Black Assembly, 1968-1975
In addition to his lifelong commitment to community-based political activism, Baraka also played a leading role in national Black Power organizations. The National Black Conference Movement began in 1966 and Baraka became involved starting with a convention in Newark in 1967. In 1972, Baraka, along with Gary, Indiana, Mayor Richard Hatcher and Michigan congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., convened the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, arguably the high point of the black freedom movement in the 1960s and 1970s. During that convention, the delegates adopted the National Black Political Agenda, also known as the Gary declaration, a statement that was a major step toward creating an independent black political party. The Gary declaration covered seven major areas: economic, human development, communications, rural development, environmental protection, political empowerment, and international policy. This series, includes a copy of the Gary declaration. The National Black Political Assembly, typically referred to simply as the National Black Assembly (NBA), also formed at the Gary convention. This series contains several Baraka writings pertaining to the NBA, and there is a brief file on some of the ideological conflicts between socialists, communists, and black nationalists that began to divide the NBA by the mid-1970s.
Box	Fldr
5	1	National Conference on Black Power, Philadelphia, 1968
	2	National Black Assembly, Planning Documents, 1971
	3	National Black Assembly, National Black Political Convention Political Agenda;, 1972
	4	National Black Assembly, Baraka Writings, 1972
	5	National Black Assembly, Newspaper Clippings from Amsterdam News, 1972
	6	National Black Assembly, National Black Political Convention, Newspaper Clippings, 1972
	7	National Black Assembly, Richard G. Hatcher, 1972 1975
	8	Pan African Congress, 1974
	9	National Black Assembly, Ideological Divisions,, 1975
	10	National Black Assembly, 1971-1974
	11	Assembly and the Black Liberation Movement.", n.d.
	12	National Black Assembly, African Liberation Day, Newspaper Clippings, 1972
	13	National Black Assembly, Housing Memorandum, n.d.

 

Series VII: Black Women's United Front,, 1975-1976

Amina Baraka (Sylvia Jones), the wife of Amiri Baraka, founded the Black Women's United Front (BWUF) in 1974. The goal of the BWUF was to develop an independent political agenda for African American women. This series contains newspaper clippings from Unity and Struggle pertaining to the BWUF, an article by Amiri Baraka analyzing meetings of the BWUF and NBA, and two position papers on the role of women in the black freedom struggle. Other articles on the role of women and writings by Amina Baraka can be found in other parts of this collection, particularly in issues of Black NewArk, where she had a regular column. Consult the subject index of this user guide for these related documents.

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5

15

Black Women's United Front, 1976

16

Black Women's United Front, n.d.

 

Series VIII: Student Organization for Black Unity, 1971

The Student Organization for Black Unity (SOBU) formed in May 1969 at a meeting at North Carolina A & T in Greensboro. SOBU held its first national convention in October 1969 at North Carolina Central University in Durham. This series begins with a brief background history of SOBU followed by a summary of its programs and a list of the organization's major officers. These included Nelson N. Johnson, Tim Thomas, Milton Coleman, John McClendon, Mark Smith, Alvin Evans, Victor Bond, and Jerry Walker. This document is followed by one issue of SOBU's newsletter. The newsletter clearly shows SOBU's Pan-African focus, covering topics such as African Solidarity Day, South Africa, the Pan-Africanism of Malcolm X, and a report on the United Nations. In August 1972, SOBU changed its name to Youth Organization for Black Unity (YOBU). Other material on SOBU/YOBU can be found in issues of The African World, the organization's official newspaper.

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5

17

Student Organization for Black Unity, Background, n.d.

18

Student Organization for Black Unity, Newsletter, 1971

 

Series IX: African Liberation Support Committee, 1973-1976
In 1971, Owusu Sadaukai (Howard Fuller) traveled to Africa where he observed the anti-colonial movements in Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and Angola. Upon his return to the United States, Sadaukai began to make plans for an African Liberation Day (ALD) demonstration that was designed to show worldwide support for the African liberation struggles. Amidst the planning for the first ALD in 1972, the African Liberation Support Committee (ALSC) was formed. This series of ALSC materials contains the ALSC statement of principles, an article on Tanzanian socialism by Walter Rodney, a CAP position paper on ALSC, and a handbook on African Liberation Month that includes a brief history of the ALSC. Several documents in this series provide evidence of a serious ideological struggle within the organization. These documents include a paper by ALSC international chairperson Dawolu Gene Locke, a paper by Abdul Hakimu lbn Alkalimat and Nelson Johnson discussing the ALSC statement of principles adopted at a 1973 meeting in Frogmore, South Carolina, and position papers from several ALSC branches about the future direction of the organization.
Box	Fldr
5	19	African Liberation Support Committee, n.d.
	20	African Liberation Support Committee, 1973
	21	African Liberation Support Committee., 1974
	22	African Liberation Support Committee., 1975
	23	African Liberation Support Committee, Africa, 1975-1976
	24	African Liberation Support Committee, Recommendations from Local Chapters, n.d.
	25	African Liberation Support Committee, duplicates, n.d.

 

Series X: Revolutionary Communist League, 1974-1982
When CAP disintegrated in conflict between the Marxists and the black nationalists, Baraka founded the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL). This series reflects Baraka's move away from nationalism to a Marxist position, which is documented in drafts of several papers written by Baraka. These papers cover topics such as Chinese communism, the international communist movement, and the ideological position of the RCL. Other articles in this series include a position paper on organizing in factories, an RCL history of the black freedom struggle, and two folders on the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization. This series also includes one issue of Bolshevik, the organ of the Revolutionary Workers League; one issue of Class Struggle; and one issue of the Red Banner, the journal of the August Twenty-Ninth Movement.
Box	Fldr
6	1	Revolutionary Communist League, Documents, 1976-1982
	2	Revolutionary Communist League, Miscellaneous, n.d.
	3	Revolutionary Communist League, "The Black Nation: Position of the Revolutionary Communist League" (M-L-M) on the Afro-American National Question, n.d.
	4	Revolutionary Communist League, August Twenty-Ninth Movement (ATM), 1976
	5	Revolutionary Communist League, Coalition to End Police Brutality
	6	Revolutionary Communist League, Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization (PRRWO), 1976
	7	Revolutionary Communist League, Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization ((2), 1974 1976
	8	Revolutionary Communist League, Revolutionary Workers League, 1976
	9	Revolutionary Communist League, Women Question and Other Position Papers, 1977
	10	Revolutionary Communist League, Baraka Articles, Drafts, n.d.
	11	Revolutionary Communist League, Pamphlets, 1975-1977 n.d.

 

Series XI: African Socialism, 1973

This brief series includes documents produced by two African socialists who had a strong influence on Baraka's development, Julius K. Nyerere and Ahmed Sékou Touré. Nyerere was the leader of the independence movement in East Africa. His paper in this series discusses the concept of Ujamaa or African socialism, a concept that influenced both Maulana Ron Karenga and Baraka and was one of the seven parts of the Kawaida doctrine. Sékou Touré was the leader of the Democratic Party of Guinea, and in 1958 he became ruler of an independent Guinea. The papers by Touré in this series are "Revolution and Production," "Africa and Imperialism," and "The Role of Women in the Revolution." Materials on these two leaders can also be found in other parts of the collection.

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7

1

African Socialism, Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, n.d.

2

African Socialism, Ahmed Sékou Touré, 1973

 

Series XII: Black Marxists, 1969-1980
This series includes materials on black Marxists who were contemporaries of Baraka, as well as older black Marxists such as Harry Haywood, C.L.R. James, and Odis Hyde. The majority of this series comprises essays by Harry Haywood. Haywood was born in 1898 and joined the Communist Party in the mid-1920s. He was expelled from the Communist Party in 1959, but he remained a critical observer of the black freedom struggle and exerted a significant influence on Baraka and many other black radicals. Titles of essays by Haywood in this series include: "For a Revolutionary Position on the Negro Question" (originally published in 1957); "Some Remarks on the National Question"; "Black Power and the Fight for Socialism"; and "The Struggle for the Leninist Position on the Negro Question in the U.S.A." One of the most unique and interesting documents in this collection is a typescript of the autobiography of Haywood protégé Odis Hyde. Hyde's autobiography is a moving, personal history of the black freedom movement in the twentieth century. Beginning with his childhood in Houston, Texas, Hyde tells the story of his migration to Chicago and his involvement in the labor movement and black freedom movement. The series also includes files on the All African Revolutionary Party, the Black Workers Congress, and the Progressive Labor Party, and it also includes one issue of the periodical Steel on the Move.
Box	Fldr
7	3	All African Revolutionary Party, 1980 n.d.
	4	Black Workers Congress, ca. 1971
	5	James Boggs, "Manifesto for a Black Revolutionary Party, 1969
	6	Harry Haywood, Essays, 1957 1963 1975 1980 n.d.
	7	Harry Haywood, Essays, 1955 1981 n.d. 63
	8	Harry Haywood, Essays, 1980-1981
	9	Harry Haywood, Essays, n.d.
	10	Harry Haywood, Letter, Notes, and Fragments, 1958 n.d.
	11	J Harry Haywood, Tributes, 1985 1998
	12	Odis Hyde, Autobiography (Typescript), n.d.
	13	C. L. R. James, 1948
	14	Progressive Labor Party (Harlem Branch), 1966
	15	Steel on the Move (Newspaper), 1971

 

Series XIII: National Black United Front, 1979-1981
The National Black United Front (NBUF) was founded in June 1980. This series contains several of the NBUF founding documents, including the constitution and by-laws, amendments to the constitution, the founding convention program, and resolutions from the first convention. The resolutions provide an entry point to most of the main concerns of the NBUF. They cover social services, labor, international affairs, politics, prisons, youth, art and culture, health, community organizing, education, employment, police, women, and housing. Another important document in this series is a detailed report by NBUF chairman Herbert Daughtry on his activities from May to September 1981. Daughtry discusses the national and international program of the NBUF and major NBUF initiatives and demonstrations. There are also two interviews with Daughtry and a typerscript of a speech he gave at a New York metropolitan branch meeting. An article by Komozi Woodard from a June 1980 issue of the Call and an article by NBUF national coordinator Jitu Weusi situate the NBUF within the history of black united fronts in the United States.
Box	Fldr
8	1	Black Leadership Conference, 1979-1980
	2	National Black United Front, 1980
	3	National Black United Front, 1980-1981
	4	National Black United Front, Documents, 1980
	5	National Black United Front, By Laws and Resolutions, 1981
	6	National Black United Front, 1979-1981

 

Series XIV: Miscellaneous Materials, 1978-1988
This series documents the activities of Baraka and other black activists between 1978 and 1988. Baraka remained very productive as a writer during this period, and this series reproduces four of his articles: "Afro-American Literature and Class Struggle"; "Nationalism, Self-Determination and Socialist Revolution"; "If Goetz Goes Free Black People Should Arm Themselves"; and "Jesse 88" on Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. A file on the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists assumes importance when used in connection with the other documents on black workers and the labor movement that are scattered throughout this collection. Together these documents indicate the independent voice of black workers, the relationship of the black worker to the organized labor movement, and the stresses faced by workers in the 1970s and 1980s. Consult the subject index of this guide for other items pertaining to labor and the labor movement. A pamphlet about independent black political action includes articles on Newark, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, Carl Stokes, the Black Panther Party, and the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana.
Box	Fldr
8	7	Interview with Baraka, 1978
	8	Black Writers Conference, Baraka Statements, 1978
	9	Yosef A. Ben-Jochannan, "The Saga of the 'Black Marxists' versus the 'Black Nationalists': A Debate Resurrected,", 1978
	10	Darryl Walker Shooting, 1979
	11	Baraka, "Afro-American Literature and Class Struggle", ca. 1980
	12	Pamphlets, 1982-1985
	13	Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, 1980
	14	"The Role of Black Marxist-Leninists in the Black Liberation Movement, ca. 1980
	15	People's Hearings and People's Trial, Police Brutality, Brooklyn, 1984
	16	Baraka, Pamphlets, 1986-1987
	17	Baraka, Article on Jesse Jackson Presidential Candidacy, 1988
	18	Miscellaneous Printed Materials, 1977-1979

 

Series XV: Serial Publications, 1968-1984
This series consists of selected editions of serial publications. The publications represented are The African World, Black Nation, Black NewArk, Unity and Struggle, Main Trend, and IFCO News. The African World was originally published by SOBU/YOBU, and the topics covered in the newspaper reflect the organization's Pan-African, radical focus. The Black Nation was edited by Baraka and published in Oakland, California, by Getting Together Publications. The issues covered in The Black Nation reflect Baraka's interest in Marxism and working-class unity, as well as his belief in the importance of black arts and culture to the black freedom struggle. The Black Nation includes many articles by Baraka, plays, works of poetry, and interviews with artists and activists such as Margaret Walker, Alice Lovelace, Michael Smith, and Don Rojas. Black NewArk, "the voice of Newark's inner city," is the next periodical reproduced in this series. There is one issue of Black Newark from 1968 and a complete run for 1972-1974. Baraka had a regular column entitled "Raise" in which he addressed issues of both local and national significance. There are also several columns by Amina Baraka. Unity and Struggle was the national edition of Black Newark and the official newspaper of CAP. Baraka's column "Raise" was also featured in Unity and Struggle. The Anti-Imperialist Cultural Union began publishing Main Trend in 1978. According to a statement in its debut issue, Main Trend aimed to publish articles "focusing on the class struggle in popular culture." This series concludes with two issues of IFCO News, a publication of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization. The October 1972 issue contains an article about the Committee for a Unified NewArk.
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9	1	The African World, Volume 11, July-September 1972
	2	The African World, Volume I, August-December 1973
	3	The African World, Volume IV, February-July 1974
	4	The African World, Volume IV, February 1975
	5	Black Nation, Volumes 2-4, 1982-1984
	6	Black NewArk, Volume 1, 1968
	7	Black NewArk, Volume 1, September-November 1972
	8	Black NewArk, Volume 2, January-March 1973
	9	Black NewArk, Volume 2, April-June 1973
	10	Black NewArk, Volume 2, July-September 1973
	11	Black NewArk, Volume 2, October-December 1973
	12	Black NewArk, Volume 3, January-March 1974
	13	Unity and Struggle, Volume 2, October-November 1973
	14	Unity and Struggle, Volume 3, January-April 1974
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10	1	Unity and Struggle, Handbook: The Revolutionary Use of A Newspaper in the Development and Organization of the Vanguard Party, May 1974
	2	Unity and Struggle, Volume 3, October-December 1974
	3	Unity and Struggle, Volume 4, January-April 1975
	4	Unity and Struggle, Volume 4, May-June 1975
	5	Unity and Struggle, Volume 4, October-November 1975
	6	Unity and Struggle, Volume 5, January-June 1976 October 1976
	7	Unity and Struggle, Volume 6, 1977
	8	Unity and Struggle, Volume 7, 1978
	9	Unity and Struggle, Volume 8, 1979
	10	Main Trend, 1978-1981
	11	IFCO News, October 1972 December 1972

 

Series XVI: Oral Histories, 1984-1986
This collection of Amiri Baraka materials concludes with transcripts from sixteen interviews conducted by Komozi Woodard and his assistants as part of an oral history project entitled, "The Making of Black NewArk: An Oral History of the Impact of the Freedom Movement on Newark Politics." Most of the people interviewed were primarily local Newark activists, although there are also interviews with Baraka, Maulana Ron Karenga, and scholar John Henrik Clarke. Most of the interviewees were asked similar questions such as their first remembrances of racism, their involvement in the black freedom movement, their experiences in Newark, and their thoughts about Baraka. Each interviewee was also asked more specific questions. For example, most of the interview with Clarke discusses Pan-Africanism and Clarke's assessment of Baraka. Vicki Garvin's oral history is actually a speech given by Garvin to one of Woodard's classes. In this speech, Garvin discusses her long career as an activist, from her involvement in the labor movement in the 1940s and 1950s to her travels to Africa and China in the 1960s, her return to the United States in the 1970s, and her subsequent activism in Newark. This series of oral histories is one of the most unique and valuable parts of this collection.
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11	1	Administrative Correspondence, 1985-1986
	2	Administration, Project Design, 1985
	3	Administration, Questionnaries, 1985
	4	Amiri Baraka, 1986
	5	Eugene Campbell, 1985
	6	John Henrik Clarke, n.d.
	7	Vicki Garvin, n.d.
	8	Larry Hamm (Adhimu Chunga), 1985
	9	Wilnora Holman, 1984
	10	Maulana Ron Karenga, 1985
	11	Baba Mshauri (Russell Bingham), 1984
	12	Paul Sanders Nakawa, 1985
	13	Saidi Nguvu, 1985
	14	Bill Reynolds, n.d.
	15	Salimu (Nettle Rogers), 1986
	16	Taalamu (Tim Holliday), 1985
Box	Fldr
12	17	Donald Tucker, 1986
	18	Honey Ward, n.d.
	19	Richard Wesley, n.d.

 

Series XVII: Komozi Woodard's Office Files, 1956-1986
This series is a creator arranged miscellany of various materials. The materials found here include correspondence and miscellaneous for which Komozi Woodard created specific subject files. These materials sometimes correspond with other series in the collection.
Box	Fldr
13	1	African -Amrican Brothers in the United States
	2	Congress of African People/Atlanta, n.d.
	3	Black Third Party Movements, 1971
	4	Amiri Baraka/Book Notes, n.d.
	5	Komozi Woodard/Book Notes, n.d.
	6	Larry Neal/Book Notes, n.d.
	7	Stokley Carmichael/Book Notes, n.d.
	8	Carribean to The Left, 9-1975
	9	City Politics/Critiques, n.d.
	10	Committee for United Newark (CFUN), 1968-1970
	11	Congress of African People (CAP), 1971-1973
	12	Ghetto Revolts, n.d.
	13	Howl and other Poems/William Carlos Williams, 1956
	14	King in Chicago-Negro Digest, 3/66
	15	Materials for Chapter on Newark Historical Background, 1974
	16	Modern Black Convention Movement, n.d.
	17	National Black Political Movement, 1972
	18	Notes on Baraka's Life, 1961 1986
	19	Project Area Committee (PAC), n.d.

 

Series XVIII: Audio - Visual, 1969-1996
This collection includes hundreds of reel-to reel tapes, film and audio, audio cassettes, and one phonographic album entitled "Black and Beautiful....Soul and Madness" which features Amiri Baraka reading his poetry back by a vocal group and band which includes Freddie Johnson, Leonard Cathcart, Aireen, Gilbert Monk and Yusef Iman. The record is on the JIHAD label. The JIHAD was a label formed by Imamu Amiri Baraka to broadcast the work of the Jihad Culture Center. The other materials in the collection are very diverse and also contain speeches and radio talk shows. The collection is available in its original format.
Box	Fldr
14	1	Imanu/Editorial, 1974
	2	Taxi Strike, 1974
	3	WWM CAP Baraka Editorial Little Rock, 1/19/1974 2/7/1974
	4	Ambassador Bom am (?), 2/24/1974
	5	Baraka; "Soul Session", 3/3/1974
	6	Amiri Baraka: African Liberation and Black Newark, 5/16/1974
	7	Delegates Reception and Press Conference, 11/11/1974
	8	Chairmain, Amiri Baraka, 9/12/1974 9/19/1974 9/26/1974
	9	Chairman Amiri Baraka and Residents of Brownsville Community on the Death of Claude Reese, 10/26/1974
	10	Chairmain, Amiri Baraka, 12/29/1974
	11	Newark
	12	Reactionary Government Around the World & Home, 1/9/1975
	13	William Jacobs, Mank Smith, Les Campbell, 7/3/1975
	14	Pinckney, James, Harris and Westbrooks, 7/3/1975
	15	Chairman, Amiri Baraka, 8/21 & 28/1975
	16	Chairman, Amiri Baraka, 9/4/1975
	17	Editorial/Kawaida Tower, 10/2/1975
	17	UTS Editorial/Chairman, 10/9/1975
	18	Chairman, Amiri Baraka, 10/16 & 23/1975 11/6/1975
	19	Chairman, Amiri Baraka, 1/15/1976 1/29/1976
	20	Baraka: "Strike of School Workers", 8/30/1976
	21	Memorial to Chairman Amiri Baraka, 9/16/1976
	22	"Marxism & Black People, 11/18/1976
	23	Poetry, 11/26/1976
	24	Baraka: "Imperialism is Dying" & "All Me", 3/17/1977
	25	Baraka: "What It Is", 2/3/1977
	26	Amiri Baraka: "Why Do We Need a Movement Party", 6/6/1977
	27	Baraka: "Moving to the Right in the Mist of Liberal Bullcrap", 6/27/1977
	28	Special Memorial to Chairman Mautsetury, 9/9/1996
	29	Amiri Baraka: Journalist Reaction and Poem, 12/16/n. y.
	30	Carter and Poem, n.d.
	31	Darshani/Kawaida, n.d.
	32	Darshani, n.d.
	33	Imani Amiri Baraka, n.d.
	34	San Diego, n.d.
	35	Taxi Drivers Press Conference, n.d.
	36	Baraka: "Black Newark", n.d.
	37	Educational Ending, n.d.
	38	Unidentified, n.d.
Box	Fldr
15	1	Inquiry: Kawiada Towers Pt. I A Community Affair, 3/16/1973
	2	Inquiry: Kawiada Towers Pt. III, 3/16/1973
	3	Inquiry: Kawiada Towers Pt. IV, 3/16/1973
	4	Inquiry: Kawiada Towers Pt. V, 3/16/1973
	5	Inquiry: Kawiada Towers Pt. VII, 3/16/1973
	6	Womens Seminar I, 2/23/1974
	7	Womens Seminar II, n.d.
	8	Womens Seminar III, n.d.
	9	Women's SeminarIV, n.d.
Box	Fldr
16	1	Black Newark, n.d.
	2	Black Newark (Insert B), n.d.
	3	Black Newark "African Free School", n.d.
	4	Etta Moore, Pam ML, and Ruby Munoz, n.d.
	5	Interview: Max Roach, n.d.
	6	Interview: Basil Patterson, n.d.
	7	Interview: Jaribu K. Katibu-Jihad (Independent Publishing), n.d.
	8	Soul Knights, n.d.
	9	Unidentified Tape, n.d.
	10	Unidentified Tape, 5/13/1972
Box	Fldr
17	1	Disco: Tape I
	2	Disco: Tape II, 1/30/1976
	3	Disco: Tape III
	4	African Drummers, n.d.
	5	Josezl Sonkemo
	6	Angola & Fundraisers, n.d.
Box	Fldr
18	1	Jihad - Sound Roll #8 -# 16, n.d.
Box	Fldr
19	1	City Wide Political Convention Tapes # 1 - #12, 1-19-1974
Box	Fldr
20	1	Press Conference To Support Newark Fund, 1-3-1970
	2	Press Conference, 3-17-1970
	3	Press Conference/David Abernathy; Baynard Rustin &Ken Gibson, 6-13-1970
	4	National Black Assembly - Reels I & II, 3-3-1973
	5	Black Newark (Radio), 2-14-1971
	6	Imani Amiri Baraka (3 speeches), 2-7-1971 3-20-1971 5-30-1971
	7	Lerone Bennett, 6-15-1971
	8	Bernice Bass/News & Views Pt.I, 6-27-1971
	10	Interview with John Jackson and Cheo Katibu, 7-20-1971
	11	Baraka's Editorial "Black Newark, 7-28-1971
	12	Elaine Brodie and Rev. Grant, 9-4-1971
	13	Interview by Amiri Baraka "Black Newark with Exco. Members, 9-6-1971
	14	Black Newark "Requirements for Our Evolution, 1-10-1972
	15	Political Movements & Newark Events, 2-21-1972
	16	Black Newark - Baraka 's Editorial, 3-7-1974
	17	Editorials; "Nixon on The Way Out", 11-1974
	18	Midday Live, 11-7-1975
	19	Proletarian Sing Tape, 11-8-1975
	20	Black Liberals for Revolution, 2-17-1977
	21	CFUN Press Conference, 6-16-n.y.
	22	Democrats for Huant, n.d.
	23	Khan, n.d.
	24	Baraka & Chief Bey, n.d.
	25	Umoja Singers and Dancers, n.d.
	26	Drumming, n.d.
	27	National Black Assembly, n.d.
	28	Rap Brown, n.d.
	29	"Africa" and "Technology and Ethos", n.d.
	30	Barak's Editorial "Black Newark", n.d.
	31	Fannie Lou Hammer & C. T. Vivian, n.d.
	32	"Black Theater", n.d.
	33	Jesse Jackson Interview, n.d.
	34	Interview with Amiri Baraka "Black Newark" & "Community Choice", n.d.
	35	Ted Pinckney and Don Tucker, n.d.
	36	Harry Belafonte & Rev. Jesse Jackson, n.d.
	37	Dennis Westbrooks, Central Ward Councilman, n.d.
	38	"Its Nation Time" & "Bros Gon Work It Out", n.d.
Box	Fldr
21	1	C.A.P. Final Speaker, September 1971
	2	Imamu Speaks, 1971
	3	Imamu/ Soul Session, 4/3/1972
	4	Delegate Reception, 12/8/1972
	5	Kawaida Rally Tape 3, 3/11/1973
	6	Press Conference -K- Towers, 3/3/1973
	7	Imamu/workers Tape 1, 3/21/1973
	8	Demonstration at Medical Site, 2/21/1973
	9	Kawaida Rally Tape 3, 3/25/1973
	10	Kawaida Rally Tapes1 & 3, 3/18/1973
	11	Bakke, Tapes 1, 2, & 4, 10/15
	12	Amari Baraka Speech and Questions, n.d.
	13	UUC Elections/No Date, 3/13/1978
	14	Gary Bariz, n.d.
Box	Fldr
22	15	Richardson Rebuttal, 6/19/1972
	16	Donald Tucker and R. Aneses, n.d.
	17	Shabazz: Black Newark, n.d.
	18	The Mayor Reports, n.d.
	19	Soul Session, n.d.
	20	Music, 7-6-1975
	21	BWUF, 3/31/1975
	22	Religious Workshop, 9/4/1970 9/5/1970 9/6/1970
	23	Last Press Conference At ITC, 9/7/1970
	24	Fannie Lou Hamer, 2/23/1970
	25	Ralph Stevens, 2/23/1970
	26	Sound Roll 17-22, n.d.
	27	Criteria Class, 10/13/1970
	28	CAP - Hatcher & Bond, 9/7/1970
Box	Fldr
23	1	N. J. State-wide Black Political Convention, New Brunswick, N.J., 2/26/1972 2/27/1972
	2	New Brunswick - Fund Raising Ralph Grant, 2/26/1972
Box	Fldr
24	1	Amiri Baraka - State Prison, 1/29/1974
	2	Imamu - Editorial, 2/28/1974
	3	Baraka - Essex County College, 4/3/1974
	4	Community Choice, 4/15/1974
	5	Afikan Liberation Day & Newark Politics, 5/23/1974
	6	Boston Forum, 10/24/1974 12/13/1974
	7	Housing Issues/Editorials, 12/26/1974
	8	"Stop Killer Cops", 1/19/1975
	9	Forum: Southeast Asia, 4/20/1975
	10	BWUF 1 st National Assembly, 5/3/1975
	11	Gibson, Sammy Davis, Jr. Press Conference, 7/3/1975
	12	Editorials, 8/14/1975
	13	Chairman Amiri Baraka, 9/18/1975 9/25/1975 11/13/1975 12/11/1975 12/18/1975 1/8/1976
	14	Black Liberation, 2/12/1976 2/19/1976
	15	Paul Robeson, and Malcolm X, 2/26/1976
	15	Ann Klin visits Community Center, 3/4/1976
	16	Chairman Amiri Baraka and Harry Haywood, 3/18/1976 3/26/1976
	17	Unity and Struggle Editorials, April 1976
	18	Amiri Baraka - Trenton State, 4/15/1976
	19	Afrikan Liberation Day - Chairman Amiri Baraka, 5/27/1976
	20	Afrika Conference, 7/7/1976
	21	Tom M. Cooke & Imamu Amiri Baraka, n.d.
	22	Town Meeting - Project Area R-32, n.d.
	23	Jails Out - Rolls 1-3 & 5-6, n.d.
	24	Unidentified, n.d.
Box	Fldr
25	1	Rally, n.d.
	2	Imamu Amiri Barak/Page Auditorium -Duke University, 1/23/1973
	3	What is Socialism, 3/6/1975
	4	BWUF 1 st National Assembly & Meeting, 5/3/1975
	5	15 Unidentified Audio Reels, No dates
	6	City Council/Housing Demonstrations Editorials, 11/28/1974 2/20/1975
	7	FWWD, n.d.
	8	Third World, n.d.
	9	Black Journal, n.d.
	10	Bakke rally and march, n.d.
	11	African Free School, n.d.
	12	Recovering Lost History of Africa, n.d.
	13	Electronic Music Lars, n.d.
	14	Mad Heart, n.d.
Box	Fldr
26	1	Multi National Revolution - Reels 1,2,3, 5 &6, 12-20-1975
	2	Committee for the Unified Newark, 5-2-1972
Box	Fldr
27	1	Black Economic Conference - Reels 3 & 4, 8-1-1975
	2	Black Economic Conference - Reels 8,9,11 & 12, 8-2-1975
Box	Fldr
28	1	Black Newark -Reels 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 & 31, 6-8-1972 - 8-5-1972
	2	Black Newark (two Reels), 1973
	3	Black Newark, 3-20-1972
	4	Bernice Bass - News & Views, 6-27-1971
	5	Adam Clayton Powell Conference (3 reels), n.d.
Box	Fldr
29	1	Exco Press Conference (2 Reels), 9-3-1971
	2	Congress of African People (Biltmore Hotel) 3 reels, n.d.
	3	African Free School, 7-3-1975
	4	National Black Assembly, 3-4-1973
	5	Congress of African People "Master Brotherhood Conference" (2 reels), 9-4-1971
	6	Ed Braithwaite, 7-8-1971
	7	Social Organization Meeting, n.d.
	8	Ken Gibson - Central Pres Church, 11-13-1970
	9	Ban ringer Incident, 10-25-1971
	10	Congress of African People(CAP), n.d.
	11	Imanu Amiri Baraka, n.d.
	12	Percy Sutton - NJ State Political Convention, n.d.
	13	Dick Gregory, 6-13-1970
	14	Baraka - "Gary & Congressional Re-Districting", 5-6-1972
	15	"Congressional Re-Districting: A Victory", 4-17-1972
	16	Baraka - Congress of African People (5 reels), n.d.
	17	Raltway Prison Comment, 11-29-ny
	18	International Report, n.d.
	19	Air Check, 1969
	20	Unidentified Tapes, n.d.