Amiri Baraka

African-American writer (1934–2014)
Person human Q354783
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Amiri Baraka was born on October 7, 1934, in Newark and died there on January 9, 2014, due to surgical complications [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][11]. A citizen of the United States, he worked as a poet, writer, playwright, screenwriter, music critic, and journalist [10][14]. His religious affiliation was Islam .

Baraka attended Howard University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, and The New School for his education . He was employed by the University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University, and San Francisco State University . His professional fields included jazz, literature, drama, and poetry [15]. He was associated with the Beat Generation, Black Arts Movement, and New Communist Movement .

His spouses were Hettie Jones, whom he married from 1958 to 1964, and Amina Baraka, whom he married from 1966 to 2014 . He had three children: Lisa Jones, Kellie Jones, and Dominique di Prima . His accolades included a Guggenheim Fellowship, Langston Hughes Medal, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, American Book Awards, and induction into the Black Literary Hall of Fame [16][17].

Amiri Baraka

Summary

Amiri Baraka is a human[1]. He was born in Newark[2]. He was born on October 7, 1934[3]. He died in Newark[4]. He died on January 9, 2014[5]. He worked as a poet[6], writer[7], playwright[8], screenwriter[9], and music critic[10]. He ranks in the top 0.68% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (1,317 views/month, #6,849 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in Newark[2], Amiri Baraka…
  • Amiri Baraka died in Newark[4].
  • Amiri Baraka was born on October 7, 1934[3].
  • Amiri Baraka died on January 9, 2014[5].
  • Among Amiri Baraka's spouses was Hettie Jones[12].
  • Amiri Baraka was married to Amina Baraka[13].
  • A child of Amiri Baraka was Lisa Jones[14].
  • A child of Amiri Baraka was Q7294641[15].
  • A child of Amiri Baraka was Kellie Jones[16].
  • A child of Amiri Baraka was Dominique di Prima[17].
  • Amiri Baraka held citizenship in United States[18].
  • Amiri Baraka is identified as part of the African Americans ethnic group[19].
  • Amiri Baraka is identified as part of the Black people ethnic group[20].
  • Amiri Baraka's professions included poet[6].
  • Amiri Baraka worked as a writer[7].
  • Amiri Baraka's professions included playwright[8].
  • Amiri Baraka worked as a screenwriter[9].
  • Amiri Baraka's professions included music critic[10].
  • Amiri Baraka's professions included journalist[21].
  • Amiri Baraka's field of work was jazz[22].
  • Amiri Baraka's field of work was literature[23].
  • Amiri Baraka's field of work was drama[24].
  • Amiri Baraka's field of work was poetry[25].
  • Amiri Baraka's field of work was music criticism[26].
  • Among Amiri Baraka's employers was University at Buffalo[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Amiri Baraka was born in Newark[2]. He was born on October 7, 1934[3]. Ethnic identities include African Americans[19] and Black people[20].

Education

Educated at Howard University[28], a private university[29], in United States[30], founded in 1867[31], headquartered in Washington, D.C.[32]; Columbia University[33], a private university[34], in United States[35], founded in 1754[36], headquartered in Manhattan[37]; Rutgers University[38], a public research university[39], in United States[40], founded in 1766[41]; The New School[42], a private university[43], in United States[44], founded in 1919[45]; and Barringer Academy of the Arts & Humanities[46], a high school[47], in United States[48], founded in 1838[49].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include poet[6], writer[7], playwright[8], screenwriter[9], music critic[10], and journalist[21]. Fields of work include jazz[22], a music genre[50], founded in 1917[51]; literature[23], a type of arts[52]; drama[24], a literary mode[53]; poetry[25], a literary form[54]; and music criticism[26], an academic discipline[55]. Employers include University at Buffalo[27], Stony Brook University[56], and San Francisco State University[57].

Recognition

Awards received include Guggenheim Fellowship[58], Langston Hughes Medal[59], National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship[60], American Book Awards[61], and Black Literary Hall of Fame[62].

Personal Life

Spouses include Hettie Jones[12], a writer[63], 1934–2024[64], of United States[65] and Amina Baraka[13], a poet[66], b. 1942[67], of United States[68]. Children include Lisa Jones[14], a screenwriter[69], b. 1961[70], of United States[71], awarded the Bessie Awards[72]; Q7294641[15], a politician[73], b. 1970[74], of United States[75]; Kellie Jones[16], a historian[76], b. 1959[77], of United States[78], awarded the MacArthur Fellows Program[79]; and Dominique di Prima[17], a journalist[80]. Amiri Baraka's religion is recorded as Islam[81]. Political affiliations include Congress of Afrikan People[82], a political party[83], in United States[84] and League of Revolutionary Struggle[85], a political party[86], in United States[87], founded in 1978[88].

Death and Burial

Amiri Baraka died on January 9, 2014[5]. He died in Newark[4]. The cause of death was surgical complications[89].

Why It Matters

Amiri Baraka ranks in the top 0.68% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (1,317 views/month, #6,849 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 23 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[90] He is known by 33 alternative names across languages and contexts.[91]

FAQs

Where was Amiri Baraka born?

Born in Newark[2], Amiri Baraka…

Where did Amiri Baraka die?

Amiri Baraka passed away in Newark[4].

Who was Amiri Baraka married to?

Amiri Baraka's spouses include Hettie Jones[12] and Amina Baraka[13].

What did Amiri Baraka do for work?

Amiri Baraka worked as poet[6], writer[7], playwright[8], screenwriter[9], and music critic[10].

Where did Amiri Baraka go to school?

Amiri Baraka was educated at Howard University[28], Columbia University[33], Rutgers University[38], and The New School[42].

What awards did Amiri Baraka receive?

Honors received include Guggenheim Fellowship[58], Langston Hughes Medal[59], National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship[60], and American Book Awards[61].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . nj.com. nj.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . wikidata.org.
  5. [18] . wikidata.org.
  6. [14] . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] . wikidata.org.
  8. [16] . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] . wikidata.org.
  10. [28] . wikidata.org.
  11. [33] . wikidata.org.
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  13. [42] . wikidata.org.
  14. [46] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [22] . wikidata.org.
  16. [23] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [25] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [26] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [82] . fightbacknews.org. Retrieved . fightbacknews.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  21. [85] . fightbacknews.org. Retrieved . fightbacknews.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [6] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [7] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [8] . African American Dramatists. wikidata.org.
  25. [9] . wikidata.org.
  26. [10] . wikidata.org.
  27. [21] . wikidata.org.
  28. [27] . wikidata.org.
  29. [56] . wikidata.org.
  30. [57] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [81] . wikidata.org.
  32. [58] . wikidata.org.
  33. [59] . ccny.cuny.edu. Retrieved . ccny.cuny.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  34. [60] . wikidata.org.
  35. [61] . wikidata.org.
  36. [62] . chicagotribune.com. Retrieved . chicagotribune.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  37. [19] . African American Dramatists. wikidata.org.
  38. [20] . wikidata.org.
  39. [89] . wikidata.org.
  40. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  41. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . nj.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [73] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [74] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [75] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [76] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [80] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [83] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [84] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [86] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [87] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  46. [88] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [90] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [91] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Amiri Baraka. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/amiri-baraka
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 5d ago · Tholzheim · 2026-05-27 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Factgrid item id Q1783793
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P8168]]: Q1783793, adds FactGrid ID"
  2. 21d ago · CommonsDelinker bot · 2026-05-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image unavailable reason
    Image last checked license
    Image purged at
    Image Amiri Baraka.jpg, Amiri Baraka 2013.jpg
    + 2 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ [[Property:P18]]: Amiri Baraka.jpg"
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