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==Controversy over "Somebody Blew Up America"==
==Controversy over "Somebody Blew Up America"==
===Appointment of Amiri Baraka===
===Appointment of Amiri Baraka===
[[File:Amiri Baraka.jpg|thumb|right|Baraka addressing the Malcolm X Festival from the Black Dot Stage at San Antonio Park, in Oakland, California, while performing with Marcel Diallo and his Electric Church Band]]
[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] poet [[Amiri Baraka]] (also known as LeRoi Jones) was appointed as the state's second poet laureate by Governor [[Jim McGreevey]] in July 2002. The previous poet laureate, Gerald Stern, said that he advocated for Baraka's selection because he "thought it was important for the black community to get recognition."<ref name="NYTBarakaRefusesResign28092002">Purdy, Matthew. [http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/28/nyregion/new-jersey-laureate-refuses-to-resign-over-poem.html "New Jersey Laureate Refuses to Resign Over Poem"] in ''The New York Times'' (28 September 2002). Retrieved 26 June 2013.</ref> Baraka's work, both in his political activism and poetry, often ventured into expressions of violence and racism. However, several sources remark that Baraka warned Governor McGreevey this his decision to appoint him as poet laureate might be a mistake because of his controversial views.
[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] poet [[Amiri Baraka]] (also known as LeRoi Jones) was appointed as the state's second poet laureate by Governor [[Jim McGreevey]] in July 2002. The previous poet laureate, Gerald Stern, said that he advocated for Baraka's selection because he "thought it was important for the black community to get recognition."<ref name="NYTBarakaRefusesResign28092002">Purdy, Matthew. [http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/28/nyregion/new-jersey-laureate-refuses-to-resign-over-poem.html "New Jersey Laureate Refuses to Resign Over Poem"] in ''The New York Times'' (28 September 2002). Retrieved 26 June 2013.</ref> Baraka's work, both in his political activism and poetry, often ventured into expressions of violence and racism. However, several sources remark that Baraka warned Governor McGreevey this his decision to appoint him as poet laureate might be a mistake because of his controversial views.


Revision as of 17:31, 25 August 2013

The Poet Laureate of New Jersey was an honorary appointed position that existed from 1999 to 2003. It is similar to the position of Poet laureate in other American states and in several other countries. The position was filled by a poet who was officially appointed by the Governor of New Jersey, as authorized by state law, and expected to represent poetry throughout the state at official functions and occasions. The position was created by an act of the New Jersey State Legislature in 1999 and abolished after a controversy in 2003. This position no longer exists. Only two poets have been appointed to this position.

Creation of the position

The position of Poet Laureate of New Jersey was created by an act of the New Jersey State Legislature approved on 4 October 1999. The act, which amended the statutes governing the powers the New Jersey Department of State and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created the position in which an award called the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit would be presented to a "distinguished poet" from the state "who shall be considered the poet laureate of the State of New Jersey for a period of two years"[1] The law provided for an honorarium of $10,000.[1] The position was charged to "engage in activities to promote and encourage poetry within the State and shall give no fewer than two public readings within the State each year" during the two-year term.[1]

Every two years, a panel of four people from New Jersey "who are either distinguished poets or persons who represent a range of stylistic approaches in the field of poetry" and chosen by "the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, in consultation with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts" to select candidates for the position for the consideration of the state's governor.[1] The current poet laureate would be the fifth member of the panel that selected his successor.[1] The governor alone would appoint the poet laureate by presenting him or her with the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit.[1]

Poet Gerald Stern (b. 1925), was selected as the first Poet Laureate of New Jersey and was appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman on 17 April 2000.

Controversy over "Somebody Blew Up America"

Appointment of Amiri Baraka

Baraka addressing the Malcolm X Festival from the Black Dot Stage at San Antonio Park, in Oakland, California, while performing with Marcel Diallo and his Electric Church Band

Newark poet Amiri Baraka (also known as LeRoi Jones) was appointed as the state's second poet laureate by Governor Jim McGreevey in July 2002. The previous poet laureate, Gerald Stern, said that he advocated for Baraka's selection because he "thought it was important for the black community to get recognition."[2] Baraka's work, both in his political activism and poetry, often ventured into expressions of violence and racism. However, several sources remark that Baraka warned Governor McGreevey this his decision to appoint him as poet laureate might be a mistake because of his controversial views.

Baraka at the 2002 Dodge Poetry Festival

On 21 September 2002, he incited a public controversy with a public reading of his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" at the September 2002 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival held in Stanhope, New Jersey. This poem appeared a year after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and was later published in his 2003 collection Somebody Blew Up America and Other Poems.[3][4] This poem, and the collection in which it was included, is described by one critic as "one more mark in modern Black radical and revolutionary cultural reconstruction",[5] although immediately after its public reading, the poem was controversial and met with harsh criticism by literary critics, politicians, and the public. The poem is highly critical of racism in America, and includes angry depictions of public figures such as Rudolph Giuliani, Trent Lott, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Ward Connerly.[6][7] It was also considered anti-Semitic because of lines claiming Israel's involvement in the World Trade Center attacks, and supporting the theory the that the United States government knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.

Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed
Who told 4,000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers
To stay home that day
Why did Sharon stay away?
(...)
Who know why Five Israelis was filming the explosion
And cracking they sides at the notion

In comments a week after this reading, Baraka was quoted by New Jersey's largest newspaper The Star-Ledger: "The Israelis knew about it just like Bush knew about it, just like the Germans knew about it, just like the French knew about it. Bush couldn’t hope for a better legitimization of his trying to make the Middle East a gas station."[8] Despite this, Baraka denies that his poem is anti-Semitic pointing to the accusation in the poem's text which he claims is directed only against Israelis rather than Jews as a people.[6][9] The Anti-Defamation League denounced the poem as antisemitic and have pointed to several examples of a long pattern of anti-Semitism in his work and public statements[10] though Baraka and his defenders defined his position as Anti-Zionism.

When asked to comment on Baraka's poem and the resulting controversy, the state's first poet laureate, Gerald Stern, stated that he was "shocked at the stupidity of it." and remarked that the response to it was difficult to weight—that although "We don't censor poets...lies never serve good, and there was hate in it."[2]

Calls for resignation

After the poem's publication, Governor McGreevey tried to remove Baraka from the post of Poet Laureate of New Jersey to which he had been appointed as the state's second poet laureate in July 2002. Baraka refused to resign and defied the state's right to remove him,[2] even posting a statement on his website stating in capital letters "I WILL NOT ‘APOLOGIZE’, I WILL NOT ‘RESIGN!'"[11] McGreevey and state officials learned that there no legal way to remove Baraka in the law authorizing and defining the position.[2] However, the city of Newark supported Baraka and his work, and responded to the attempts to remove him poet laureate by appointing him to be the poet laureate of the Newark Public Schools in December 2002.[12]

Abolition and aftermath

On 17 October 2002, legislation was introduced in the State Senate to abolish the post, briefly stating two provisions:

1. P.L.1999, c.228 (C.52:16A-26.9) is hereby repealed.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.[13]

The bill, proposed in the New Jersey State Senate passed in the senate with 21 votes supporting it and 19 abstentions. It passed the General Assembly by a 69-2 vote.[14] This act was subsequently signed into law by Governor McGreevey on 2 July 2003 and it became effective immediately.[13] Baraka ceased being poet laureate on that date.

Baraka proceeded to file a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988 and 28 U.S.C. § 2201 in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey to challenge his dismissal and the elimination of the post supported by allegations that his free speech rights had been violated and alleged that McGreevey and other state officials had retaliated against him.[15][16] However, U.S. District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr., dismissed Baraka's claim citing that he failed to state a grounds on which relief could be granted and under the state's legislative immunity protections provided by the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution.[16][17] On 21 March 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision and ruled that state officials were immune from such suits.[16] This appellate decision further stated that "Baraka, like any person, was free to speak his views. But he had no protected legal interest in the maintenance of the position of poet laureate of New Jersey."[18] Without providing comment and affirming the Third Circuit's decision, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case by denying Baraka's Petition for a Writ for Certiorari.[19][20]

List of Poets Laureate of New Jersey

Photo Poet Laureate Term Notes and remarks
1 Gerald Stern
(b. 1925)		 17 April 2000 – July 2002
  • Appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman on 17 April 2000
    • 2 File:Amiri Baraka, Miami Book Fair International, 2007.jpg Amiri Baraka
    (also known as LeRoi Jones)
    (b. 1934)    		 July 2002 – 2 July 2003
  • Appointed by Governor Jim McGreevey in July 2002
  • Asked to resign after reciting a controversial poem "Somebody Blew Up America", Baraka refused, igniting a political controversy
  • Because there was no mechanism in the law to remove a poet laureate, the state legislature and governor abolished the post by law that went into effect 2 July 2003

    • See also

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e f New Jersey State Legislature. "An Act establishing the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and making an appropriation" from Laws of the State of New Jersey (P.L. 1999, c. 228), Approved 4 October 1999. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    2. ^ a b c d Purdy, Matthew. "New Jersey Laureate Refuses to Resign Over Poem" in The New York Times (28 September 2002). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    3. ^ Baraka, Amiri. "Somebody Blew Up America" (original from Baraka's website is preserved by the Wayback Machine, archive.org). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    4. ^ Baraka, Amiri (a.k.a. LeRoi Jones). Somebody Blew up America and Other Poems. (Philipsburg, St. Martin, DWI: House of Nehesi), 2003.
    5. ^ Comment of of Kamau Brathwaite cited in Poetry Foundation. Poems & Poets - Biography: Amiri Baraka b. 1934 (2009). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    6. ^ a b Pearce, Jeremy. "When poetry seems to matter" in The New York Times (9 February 2003). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    7. ^ Lines from the poem state: "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" see at Baraka, Amiri. "Somebody Blew Up America" (original from Baraka's website is preserved by the Wayback Machine, archive.org). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    8. ^ The Star-Ledger, (28 September 2002).
    9. ^ Stevens, Katherine. "Baraka refutes criticism. Controversial N.J. poet laureate denies accusations of racism" in The Yale Daily News (25 February 2003). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    10. ^ Anti-Defamation League. AMIRI BARAKA: IN HIS OWN WORDS (2003). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    11. ^ McMahon, Zachary. "Definition Rhetoric in the Amiri Baraka Controversy" in Young Scholars in Writing: Undergraduate Research in Writing and Rhetoric (Fall 2003) 1:157-170; citing Baraka, Amiri. “I WILL NOT ‘APOLOGIZE’, I WILL NOT ‘RESIGN!’” Statement by Amiri Baraka, New Jersey Poet Laureate (2 October 2002) on amiribaraka.com (personal website). <http://www.amiribaraka.com/speech100102.html>.
    12. ^ Jacobs, Andrew. "Criticized Poet Is Named Laureate of Newark Schools" in The New York Times. (19 December 2002). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    13. ^ a b New Jersey State Legislature. "An Act concerning the State poet laureate and repealing P.L.1999, c.228." from Laws of the State of New Jersey (P.L.2003, c.123). Approved 2 July 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    14. ^ Mansnerus, Laura. "New Jersey Assembly Votes to Cut Embattled Poet’s Job" in The New York Times (2 July 2003), B2.
    15. ^ United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Baraka v. McGreevey Civil Action No. 04-cv-1959 (2003).
    16. ^ a b c SCIRICA, (Chief Judge) United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Decision in Baraka v. McGreevey. 481 F.3d 187, Docket No. 05-2361. Filed 21 March 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    17. ^ This was dismissed under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
    18. ^ Mears, Bill. Supreme Court won't hear appeal over 9/11 poem" at CNN.com. (13 November 2007). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
    19. ^ Supreme Court of the United States. Baraka v. McGreevey, et al. (2007) mentioned on "Order List 552 U.S. - 13 November 2007, Docket No. 07-79.
    20. ^ Associated Press. "Newark: Court Will Not Hear Poet’s Lawsuit" in The New York Times. (14 November 2007). Retrieved 26 June 2013.
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