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Malcolm X is assassinated in Harlem. Writer Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroi Jones, 1934-2014) moves to Harlem and opens the Black Arts Repertory Theatre. This is the starting point of the Black Arts Movement.
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An audio version of Baraka's poem "Black Art" is released on jazz drummer Sonny Murray's album, Sonny's Time Now. "Black Art" is one of Baraka's most controversial poems
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"Poem Counterpoem", a book of 10 poems each by Margaret Danner and Dudley Randall is released.
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Black Arts Convention takes place in Detroit, Michigan at Central United Church of Christ. There were workshops in art, literature, music, education, religion, and Black history. -
"For Malcolm: Poems on the Life and Death of Malcolm X" is edited by Dudley Randall and Margaret Burroughs. With a preface by Ossie Davis.
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Influential jazz musician John Coltrane dies. Like Malcolm X, he becomes a recurring subject for many Black poets during this era. One example is "Ode to John Coltrane" by Quincy Troupe.
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Poet Henry Dumas is shot and killed by a New York City policeman by "mistaken identity". He often wrote about black people killed by the police.
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"In the Mecca" by Gwendolyn Brooks is published. It is a long narrative poem that reflects life in the Chicago ghetto. It also includes 9 short poems of contemporary figures and events.
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"Black Boogaloo: Notes on Black Liberation", a collection of 32 poems (with a preface by Amiri Baraka) by poet Larry Neal is released.
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Book of poems "Prophets for a New Day" by Margaret Walker is released. Topics that deal with the struggle for racial equality include Nat Turner, Civil Rights demonstrations, and Malcolm X.
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"Jump Bad: A New Chicago Anthology. Presented By Gwendolyn Brooks". It features poetry from writers associated with the Black Arts Movement such as Carolyn Rodgers, Don L. Lee, James Cunningham, Johari Amini, Mike Cook, Walter Bradford.
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"My House", a collection of poems about love, life, and family relationships is released by Black Arts Movement poet Nikki Giovanni
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the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival, which celebrates 200 years of her publication is organized at Jackson State College, in Jackson, Mississippi. The celebration was sponsored by the Institute for the Study of History, Life, and Culture of Black People. -
"Hoodoo Hollerin' Bebop Ghosts" is published by Larry Neal. It is a collection of his poems from 1964 to 1973.
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The Black Arts Movement begins to dwindle down. The Ideology followed by Baraka and other leading members changes from Black Nationalism to Marxism. This shift alienated many followers.