SF Bay Celebrates Amiri Baraka @ 75 Years

Tonight when I walked into East Side Cultural Center, Yuri Kochiyama and her two children, daughter and son, were with her. On the board at East Side, Yuri always shows up for important events like this birthday party for her good friend Amiri Baraka, who acknowledged her tonight for her work for black liberation.

I knew I'd made the right choice this evening when I saw her, a person I claim as my hero. So thoughtful, as she made her way into the venue, she was speaking to me about a mutual acquaintance who is incarcerated, introducing me to her son and giving me a kiss on the cheek. She is quite the woman!

As soon as I walked in and gave Emory Douglass the greetings, he gave me his seat. I thought that was so kind of him. Desley Brooks, our city counsel person was there, along with Arthur Monroe and Mildred Howard, artists, James Gayles, artist/musician, Lewis Jordan, musician, writer, composer, Tureeda Mikell, poet/teacher, Traci Bartlow, choreographer, photographer and artist, born the same day at Imamu Baraka--different year. There were many people there I knew by face--the folks who are hip and dig the real.

Hosts for upcoming celebratory events were also in the house like Marvin X and Justin Desmangles, whose event is Sunday, Nov. 8 at the San Francisco Main Library on Larkin at 1 PM. The other free event, Marvin's at the Jazz Heritage Center at Yoshi's, 1330 Fillmore in San Francisco on Monday, Nov. 9, beginning at 3 PM, followed by a concert at 8 PM. I remember the first time I saw Baraka perform with a band, it was with David Murray's Senegalese band at Kimball's East in Emeryville.

Sunday, Baraka will be talking about the presidency of "Barack Obama: We Are Already in the Future! Barack Obama: Year One."

I am just so excited. Amiri Baraka is such a scholar, yet so accessible. He even suffers those who are not as cool so well...well, most of the time. When your light is as bright as his is, the lesser lights find it difficult at times to have the same vision or ablity to see as far ahead or as clearly as he. Witty and sometimes brutally frank when one wants a placebo, Baraka was on point tonight at East Side after his book talk where Cecil Brown and India Cooke participated on a panel discussing Barakaisms.

When the discussion opened to the floor, the conversation became a bit more freewheeling taking in the class divisions which keep most of our people away from certain information...Baraka said our jobs as intellectuals is to take the college to the streets.

He said the same force that put Obama in office needs to stay organized now, with health care barely passing Congress today, most Americans earning way below their needs. He spoke about the role of artists in society and why art is so dangerous. He spoke about the co-opting of black art movements--instead of black films, put a black actor in the film, even hire a black director, and the black community supports the film which does nothing to uplift or develop the minds of its audience. Shaft and Super Fly were two films he noted. One film is about a black detective on the side of the police; the other Blaxploitation.

There was cake--strawberry whipped cream, barbecued chicken and potato salad, and birthday songs--a la Stevie Wonder, and later a jam session led by India Cooke. When the lights came up and chairs were being stacked, I noticed the art exhibit on the walls--Amiri Baraka surrounding me...some of the work on display was from the wonderful exhibit on Baraka many years ago. That was a great exhibit which looked at Baraka's work, decade by decade. His paintings are on display, along with posters, articles and of course books.

As my friend and I prepared to leave at midnight, a few youth walked by ESAA and one was carrying a gun. Other youth inside who saw the kids walking by, suggested we stay for 15-20 until they were past us just in case.

We have a lot of work to do. Too bad the young people passing by hadn't been a part of the event we were leaving....ESAA is in the right place--art is politics.

Baraka heads for Los Angeles next for a week of celebratory events. Check back, I am going to find out the details and post them at wandaspicks.com.