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Amiri Baraka (born LeRoi Jones) is an American playwright, poet, and author. He was born in 1934 to lower-middle class parents and attended Rutgers University, Howard University, and Columbia University where he studied philosophy. He never received a degree from any of the institutions.After he left school, he joined the Air Force where he became a sergeant. Due to his possession of communist texts, Jones was dishonorably discharged. After the Air Force, he moved to Greenwich Village, where the music of the area (Jazz mostly) inspired him to write. As well as writing, he became an activist for social change, focusing mainly on the civil rights movement. Baraka's activism can be seen in much of his art. While his work was highly controversial, he is still known as one of the best American writers of the last century.