Baraka in Harlem
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
It was bad enough that Amiri Baraka was poet laureate of New Jersey. Now he’s to be one of two featured speakers at a ceremony in Harlem sponsored by the United States Postal Service. You may recall the controversy over Mr. Baraka’s poem about the September 11 attacks. It features the lines: Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers To stay home that day Why did Sharon stay away? And: Who do Tom Ass Clarence Work for Who doo doo come out the Colon’s mouth Who know what kind of Skeeza is a Condoleeza Who pay Connelly to be a wooden Negro The state of New Jersey eliminated the position of state poet laureate last year in an effort to rid itself of the embarrassment of Mr. Baraka’s work. Unfortunately, the Postal Service apparently has no similar reservations about Mr. Baraka or his work. It has invited him to speak at a dedication ceremo ny on July 23 for a new stamp honoring the writer James Baldwin. At the ceremony, to be held at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, Mr. Baraka is scheduled to take the podium along with the writer Maya Angelou, according to a press release from the Postal Service.
Reached Sunday afternoon, Pat McGovern, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service, said Mr. Baraka was recommended by the Schomberg Center because of his familiarity with Baldwin’s work. The Schomberg Center itself is a distinguished part of the New York City taxpayer-funded public library system. As for the charges of anti-Semitism that led to the end of his position as poet laureate of New Jersey, “I’m not even sure if the person who was working on the event was aware of that,” Ms. McGovern said.
Now that the Postal Service is aware, there is still plenty of time between today and July 23 to revoke the invitation to Mr. Baraka. He has the right to speak his mind and write his poetry. It’s nothing short of outrageous, though, for a federal agency like the Postal Service to give him a podium, especially in the city that was the scene of the attack about which Mr. Baraka wove his bizarre conspiracy theories.
