Askia M. Touré
Encyclopedia
Askia Muhammad Touré (born October 13, 1938 in Raleigh, North Carolina
) is an African American poet
, essayist, political editor, and leading voice of the Black Arts Movement
.
. He moved to New York City
and joined the Art Students League
, and the Umbra poets
.
He participated in the Fulton Art Fair in Brooklyn, in 1961 and 1962, and the Black Arts Movement
.
In 1961, he protested the assassination of Patrice Lumumba
, at the United Nations, with Amiri Baraka
, Calvin Hicks
, Aishah Rahman
, Max Roach
, Abby Lincoln, Alex Prempe, Mae Mallory
, and Maya Angelou
.
In 1962, he became an illustrator for Umbra magazine, a staff member with The Liberator magazine and a contributor to Freedomways.
He was a part of the Atlanta staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC), and joined the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) in the Spring of 1964.
In 1965, he founded Afro World, and organized the Harlem Uptown Youth Conference. He also participated in the rise of the Black Panther Party
and helped write SNCC's 1966 "Black Power Position Paper."
In 1967, he joined the faculty at San Francisco State University
with Nathan Hare
, and taught African history in the first African Studies Program.
He organized the 1984 Nile Valley Conference, and helped found the Atlanta chapter of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations.
He resides and teaches in Boston, Massachusetts.
He is a writer-in-residence in Boston at the Ogunamaile Gallery.
He is currently working on a film about the Black Arts Movement.
He is a former editor of the Journal of Black Poetry, Black Dialogue and Black Star.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
) is an African American poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, essayist, political editor, and leading voice of the Black Arts Movement
Black Arts Movement
The Black Arts Movement or BAM is the artistic branch of the Black Power movement. It was started in Harlem by writer and activist Amiri Baraka...
.
Life
He served in the United States Air Force from 1956 - 1959. He took art classes at the Dayton Art InstituteDayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, USA. The Dayton Art Institute was rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for kids. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art museums in North America in 3 of 4 factors...
. He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and joined the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
, and the Umbra poets
Umbra poets
Umbra was a collective of young Black writers based in Manhattan's Lower East Side founded in 1962. Major members included the following writers:*Steve Cannon*Thomas Covington Dent/Tom Dent*Al Haynes*David Henderson*Calvin C. Hernton*Joe Johnson...
.
He participated in the Fulton Art Fair in Brooklyn, in 1961 and 1962, and the Black Arts Movement
Black Arts Movement
The Black Arts Movement or BAM is the artistic branch of the Black Power movement. It was started in Harlem by writer and activist Amiri Baraka...
.
In 1961, he protested the assassination of Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
, at the United Nations, with Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka , formerly known as LeRoi Jones, is an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism...
, Calvin Hicks
Calvin Hicks
Calvin L. Hicks is an African-American journalist, activist, editor, and music educator.-Life:He wrote for the Boston Chronicle, while still in high school.He graduated from Drake University...
, Aishah Rahman
Aishah Rahman
Aishah Rahman, born Virgina Hughes is an African American playwright.Rahman grew up as a foster child in Harlem. She received a B. S. in political science from Howard University in 1968. Lady Day: A Musical Tragedy was a play about Billie Holiday...
, Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, Abby Lincoln, Alex Prempe, Mae Mallory
Mae Mallory
Mae Mallory was a Black liberation movement leader in the 1960s, and proponent of Black armed self-defense.-Life:She was raised in Macon, Georgia....
, and Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
.
In 1962, he became an illustrator for Umbra magazine, a staff member with The Liberator magazine and a contributor to Freedomways.
He was a part of the Atlanta staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(SNCC), and joined the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) in the Spring of 1964.
In 1965, he founded Afro World, and organized the Harlem Uptown Youth Conference. He also participated in the rise of the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
and helped write SNCC's 1966 "Black Power Position Paper."
In 1967, he joined the faculty at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
with Nathan Hare
Nathan Hare
Nathan Hare was the first person hired to coordinate a black studies program in the United States, at San Francisco State University in 1968.-Early life and education:...
, and taught African history in the first African Studies Program.
He organized the 1984 Nile Valley Conference, and helped found the Atlanta chapter of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations.
He resides and teaches in Boston, Massachusetts.
He is a writer-in-residence in Boston at the Ogunamaile Gallery.
He is currently working on a film about the Black Arts Movement.
He is a former editor of the Journal of Black Poetry, Black Dialogue and Black Star.
Awards
- 1989 American Book AwardAmerican Book AwardThe American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
- 2000 Stephen E. Henderson Poetry Award for Dawnsong
- 1996 Gwendolyn Brooks Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gwendolyn Brooks Institute in Chicago, Illinois.