(Trenton) – Speaker Sheila Oliver released the following statement on hearing of the passing of the former New Jersey Poet Laureate and Newark native, Amiri Baraka:
“On behalf of the members of the General Assembly, I extend our most heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Baraka family on the passing of Amiri Baraka.
“Amiri will always be to New Jersey an iconic, cultural figure in literary and human rights movements.
“He effectuated invaluable change in Newark and throughout the nation in his time with his views, his activism and his poetic discourse. His passion for the pursuit of justice and equality for all was incomparable. Amiri Baraka will truly be missed.”