Marvin X proposes a Black Arts Movement 27 City National Tour in honor of Amiri Baraka

Black Bird Press News & Review: Marvin X proposes a Black Arts Movement 27 City National Tour in honor of Amiri Baraka

 The Black Arts Movement Poet's Choir and musicians

 Senior poet Askia Toure and junior Marvin X. When Marvin X first arrived in Harlem NY, 1968, Askia was his guide! We talked of many things, Harold Cruse's Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, the Sufi writings of Rumi, Ghazali and the writings of Hazrat Inayat Khan; the writings of John Oliver Killins and his Harlem Writers Club. Marvin X received a writing grant from the Harlem Writers Club via Columbia University. Askia has received the National Book Award, et al.

Askia's poetry is flowing with beauty, love, history, culture and praise, especially for the Black woman. We saw him read at Spelman College and the response shook the room in the sound of praise for his poetic genius. It was the response to his poem about the Williams sisters and his praise of the Dark Girls that thrilled the Spelman audience. It was a response so thundering that I was afraid and

Askia was too. Afraid of what? Joy! Appreciation for understanding the Queen of the Universe, Mother of Civilization? We just don't know the power of words. In the beginning was the word and the word was truth and beauty.

 Marvin X and his top student, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga of Oakland's Lower Bottom Playaz.  Dr. Ayodele directed and performed Marvin's In the Name of Love, Laney College Theatre, 1981; she did the same for his One Day in the Life, Malonga Arts Theatre, 1996--2002, longest running Black  play in the Bay! She has produced almost the entire August Wilson cycle of plays with her Lower Bottom Playaz down in deep West Oakland. Ayo is probably the greatest black producer, director, actress in the Bay or perhaps in the USA, after all she is a student of Marvin X, who is a student of Amiri Baraka, Sun Ra and Elijah Muhammad/Malcolm X!

 Marvin X and great poet Paradise, author of the classic They Love Everything About you but You! Paradise is in the BAM tradition of beauty and truth telling!

Sonia is my queen, comrade in the arts, revolutionary sister, comrade, griot, shaman lady, etc. May her magic flow on and on, on and on, Shaman lady supreme. Who can tell us of love, especially in all the wrong places? See my poem You don't Know Me, but I love Sonia's great poetic classic Wounded in the House of a Friend. It is a dramatic poem in dialogue, when she wouldn't read the female part at a party in Baraka's house, I read the male and female parts. But check this out: Sonia went over to the piano in the Baraka's house and began to accompany me. I thought she was Ornette Coleman or somebody. I had no idea she had knowledge of the piano. Don't underestimate your people, not even the lowest of the low, for you don't know that person is a god!-- mx

Emory is a Gemini like myself. He's got to be one of the coolest persons in the world, to go through what he did with the personalities he had to deal with--me too! Don't make me list them!

Ginny Lim is in the BAM tradition, she heard the word and picked up the torch in the BAM and Bandung Tradition. Ginny is down fada down! BAM and the United Front of all oppressed peoples!

 Queen of the BAM, Sonia Sanchez

 Marvin X with the great bassist Henry Grimes, who also plays violin
Check him and Marvin X on the video at the NYU tribute to Jayne Cortez and Amiri Baraka

 Henry Grimes

 Ancestor Amiri Baraka and Henry Grimes

 Marvin X honored in Harlem NY at the beautiful home of Rashidah Ishmaili, 20014. Marvin was in New York to honor poets Jayne Cortez and Amiri Baraka at New York University, an event organized by Amiri Baraka, but Sister Rashidah handled the affair. Of course Amiri didn't know it would be a tribute for Jayne and himself!, and so it is! Ase!

 Black Fire, bible of the 60s BAM revolution, edited by Larry Neal and Amiri Baraka

 AB

 What a great union of the female and male energy, Mrs. Amina Baraka and husband, Amiri

 Art by Emory, Black Panther Party Minister of Culture

 Ras Baraka, next Mayor of Newark, NJ, In she Allah! Oh, that's da Prez!

Marvin X relates to Syria in a personal way, his son Abdul El Muhajir was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Damascus, Syria. He told his father (before he made his transition at the age of 39) of the oppression in Syria. "The secret police interrogated me every day," his son said. "Why are you swimming at the American Embassy? What are you reading about the Baa'th Party? Why are you hanging around those filthy Palestinians?" RIP, Abdul El Muhajir!

 Mr. Baraka, why doesn't Marvin X write about you? Baraka: Because he knows I will write about him!

These poets shared a 47 year friendship. I am forever lonely without AB in my hear cracking something smart to which I tried to come back with something equally smart!

 The great revolutionary poet and BAM godfather, Askia Toure.

 Sonia Sanchez, godmother of BAM

 Dr. Julia Hare, the female Malcolm X!

 Marvin X and his adopted aunt, Dr. Julia Hare. Marvin is agent for the Drs. Julia and Nathan Hare archives. If you are interested in acquiring their archives, contact Marvin X. Independently appraised price: $300, 000.00. If you are a well-heeled individual, why not purchase these archives and donate them to a worthy academic institution?

Marvin X as political poet! At his Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland--the most dangerous classroom in the world! His classroom was the site of the Oscar Grant Rebellion and Occupy Oakland. His classroom continued to meet in the midst of mayhem and murder!

Brother Marvin,
Thank you for recalling Amiri's call for unifying the main 27 Afro American cities in the country with the Black Arts Movement, but also networking them with his repeated call for : 1) organization (collectives/ coalitions/ united fronts); 2) program (ideology/ value system); and 3) independent institutions; and reminder of Malcolm's basic demands for self-respect/ self-defense/ self-determination for Black & other Third World/ indigenous peoples. EastSide Arts Alliance supports you in all your efforts to build this network/ cultural circuit.
-g-

Marvin, what would we do without your energy, vision, and powerful personality that makes things happen. You always make a difference. Love you.--Kim McMillan