[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 6 (Friday, January 10, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF AMIRI BARAKA

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I come to the floor to honor the life 
and legacy of an icon, poet Amiri Baraka, who died yesterday in his 
hometown of Newark, New Jersey, at the age of 79.
  Born during a time when racial tensions were at their peak, Amiri 
Baraka used poetry to empower and enlighten. He eventually founded the 
Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and '70s in Newark and around the 
country, and received countless awards for his contributions to the 
arts.
  My father and he attended high school together, and I will never 
forget, as a youngster, hearing Amiri Baraka's poetry and recognizing 
the power his written words had over a person, regardless of race, age, 
or gender.
  Amiri Baraka was not only a poet, he was an activist. In 1969, he 
organized the Black and Puerto Rican Convention, which brought those 
communities together at a time when it looked bleak. He also was one of 
the main organizers and the keynote speaker of the 1972 Black Political 
Convention in Gary, Indiana. His profound words were influential as 
many searched for meaning in some of the most troubling struggles of 
our time, like civil rights, war, oppression, and poverty.
  My heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Baraka family, 
including my former colleague, Newark City Council Member Ras Baraka, 
and his brother Amiri Baraka, whom I have come very close to over the 
course of the past 4 or 5 years. To their mother, who has brought me in 
as almost a son as well, my deepest sympathy. I know where you are. I 
have been there just a short while ago. But let it be known, today the 
Nation is in deep mourning at his passing.

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