Umbra was a collective of young

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

writers based in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

that was founded in 1962.

Background

Umbra was one of the first post-

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

Black literary groups of people to make an impact as radical in the sense of establishing their own voice distinct from, and sometimes at odds with, the prevailing white literary establishment. The attempt to merge a Black-oriented activist thrust with a primarily artistic orientation produced a classic split in Umbra between those who wanted to be activists and those who thought of themselves as primarily writers, though to some extent all members shared both views. Black writers have always had to face the issue of whether their work was primarily

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

. Moreover, Umbra itself had evolved out of similar circumstances: in 1960, a Black nationalist literary organization, On Guard for Freedom, had been founded on the Lower East Side by

Calvin Hicks Calvin L. Hicks (August 18, 1933 – August 25, 2013) was an African-American journalist, activist, editor, and music educator. He died in New York. Life Born in Boston, United States, Hicks wrote for the '' Boston Chronicle'' while still in hi ...

. Its members included Nannie and Walter Bowe,

Harold Cruse Harold Wright Cruse (March 8, 1916 – March 26, 2005) was an American academic who was a social critic and teacher of African American studies at the University of Michigan until the mid-1980s. ''The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual'' (1967) ...

(who was then working on ''The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual'', 1967), Tom Dent,

Rosa Guy Rosa Cuthbert Guy () (September 1, 1922 Margalit Fox"Rosa Guy, 89, Author of Forthright Novels for Young People, Dies" ''The New York Times'', June 7, 2012. – June 3, 2012) was a Trinidad-born American writer who grew up in the New York met ...

, Joe Johnson,

LeRoi Jones Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

, and

Sarah Wright Sarah Fay Wright Olsen (born September 28, 1983) is an American actress. She played Millicent Gergich in a recurring role on '' Parks and Recreation''. Early life and education Wright was born on September 28, 1983, in Louisville, Kentucky. Sh ...

, among others. On Guard was active in a famous protest at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

of the American-sponsored Bay of Pigs Cuban invasion and was active in support of the Congolese liberation leader

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

. From On Guard, Dent, Johnson, and Brenda Walcott and Askia Touré established Umbra.

''Umbra Magazine''

The Umbra collective produced ''Umbra Magazine'', which grew out of Friday-night workshops, meetings, and readings on Manhattan's Lower East Side in summer 1962, "and out of the need expressed for it at those meetings". Two issues, edited by Calvin Hernton, David Henderson and Tom Dent, were produced during the group's life-time, including a 'Richard Wright Mnemonicon' in the second issue. After the group split and the workshops themselves ended following the assassinations of

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, David Henderson took over as editor. A third issue appeared as ''Umbra Anthology: 1967–1968'', followed by the fourth issue
''Umbra Blackworks''
in 1970, an
''Umbra Latin / Soul''
co-edited by Henderson,

Barbara Christian Barbara T. Christian (December 12, 1943 – June 25, 2000) was an American author and professor of African-American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Among several books, and more than 100 published articles, Christian was be ...

and

Victor Hernandez Cruz The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, in 1974.

Major writers

* Steve Cannon * Thomas Covington Dent/Tom Dent *Al Haynes * David Henderson * Calvin C. Hernton *Joe Johnson *

Norman Pritchard Norman Gilbert Pritchard (23 June 1875 – 30 October 1929), also known by his stage name Norman Trevor, was a British-Indian athlete and actor who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in at ...

Lennox Raphael Lennox Raphael (born September 17, 1939, in Trinidad, West Indies) is a journalist, poet, and playwright. His writings have been published in ''Negro Digest'', ''American Dialog'', ''New Black Poetry'', ''Natural Process'' and ''Freedomways''. A l ...

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his Satire, satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known wor ...

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

, musician-writer *

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

, musician-poet *Art Berger *

Lorenzo Thomas Lorenzo Thomas (October 26, 1804 – March 2, 1875) was an American officer in the United States Army who was Adjutant General of the Army at the beginning of the American Civil War. After the war, he was appointed temporary Secretary of Wa ...

*James Thompson *

Askia M. Touré Askia Muhammad Touré (Rolland Snellings) (born October 13, 1938 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an African-American poet, essayist, political editor, and leading voice of the Black Arts Movement. Toure helped to define a new generation of black ...

(Roland Snellings; also a visual artist) *Brenda Walcott * Raymond R. Patterson *

Rashidah Ismaili Rashidah Ismaili, also known as Rashidah Ismaili AbuBakr (born 1941),"Rashidah Ismaili"

Askia Touré, a major shaper of "cultural

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

", directly influenced

, along with Umbra writer Charles Patterson and Charles's brother, William Patterson. Touré joined Jones, Steve Young, and others at BART/S (Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School). Umbra is often cited as a predecessor to the Black Arts Movement, and is discussed in books such as Eugene Redmond's ''Drumvoices'', Aldon Nielsen's ''Black Chant'',

Kalamu ya Salaam Kalamu ya Salaam (born March 24, 1947) is an American poet, author, filmmaker, and teacher from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. For years ...

's ''The Magic of Juju'' and Lorenzo Thomas's ''Extraordinary Measures''. Many members of Umbra took part in Black Arts and post-Black Arts activity, including Ishmael Reed's Before Columbus Foundation in California, David Henderson's involvement with the

Nuyorican Poets Cafe Nuyorican is a portmanteau word blending "New York" (or "Nueva York" in Spanish) and "Puerto Rican," referring to Puerto Rican migration to New York City, Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, their culture, or their descendants (es ...

in New York, and Tom Dent's work with The Free Southern Theatre in New Orleans. (Dent also established the long-running magazine ''

Callaloo Callaloo ( , ; many spelling variants, such as kallaloo, calaloo, calalloo, calaloux, or callalloo) is a plant used in popular dishes in many Caribbean countries, while for other Caribbean countries, a stew made with the plant is called call ...

'', alongside Charles Henry Rowell and Jerry Ward.)Tom Dent,
Preface
, ''Callaloo'' No. 1 (December 1976), pp. v–vi.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* Rone Shavers

''Black Issues Book Review'', Vol. 3 Issue 1, January/February 2001, p. 32.

African-American poets American poets

Background

''Umbra Magazine''

Major writers

Further reading

References

External links