Primary Sources: People - African-Americans: Baraka, Amiri

Documentary covering Baraka from his early days in Greenwich Village to his present literary and political activities. Focuses on the final two weeks before his sentencing at federal court on the charges of resisting arrest.

In this program, Maya Angelou interviews poet, playwright, and political activist Amiri Baraka, formerly known as Leroi Jones. Stressing the use of concrete images of time, place, and social condition in his work, Baraka discusses the use of literature as a catalyst for political change. Reading from his poem "Funk Lore," Baraka explains how he uses jazz and blues rhythms to create metric "melody" within his poems.