Play script

By: LeRoi Jones

Date: 1964

Source: Jones, LeRoi. Dutchman and The Slave. New York: William Morrow, 1964, 3–7.

About the Author: LeRoi Jones (1934–), who changed his name to Amiri Baraka in 1968, writes about African Americans living in a white world. Early in his career, he wrote plays and essays. Since the 1980s, he has concentrated on writing poetry and nonfiction. As an African American nationalist in the 1960s, Baraka was an advocate for African American arts and aesthetics. His work is confrontational and demands reactions from his audiences.

Introduction

Following a trip to Cuba in 1960, LeRoi Jones realized the political power of the arts. Through drama, he provided a message to the audience about his vision of life in the United States for the African American man. In 1964, he had five plays produced, including Dutchman. He...