Haki Madhubuti

Madhubuti made great contributions to the Black Arts Movement not only through his own writings, but also through his commitment to publishing the works of fellow black authors in his community. Similarly to Ishmael Reed, Madhubuti eventually strayed from a direct con African American struggles in America to a more broader topic that concerned the predicaments of people of color internationally. In the poem ‘Killing Memory’ he writes a long litany of injustices in countries such as El Salvador, South Africa, Lebanon, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan which are not unlike the struggles African Americans face in the United States. I particularly admire Madhubuti’s efforts to awaken his readerships to the broad scope of social issues facing minorities and people of color around the world. I see his writing as a sort of call to action by way of awareness.