Toni Cade Bambara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Toni Cade Bambara
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| Born | Miltona Mirkin Cade March 25, 1939 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 1995 (aged 56) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Notable works | "Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird" The Salt Eaters |
| Children | 1 |
Toni Cade Bambara, whose birth name was Miltona Mirkin Cade (March 25, 1939 – December 9, 1995), was an amazing African-American writer. She also made documentary films, worked as a social activist, and taught at colleges. She used her talents to tell important stories and help her community.
Contents
Toni Cade Bambara's Life Story
Her Early Years and School
Miltona Mirkin Cade was born in Harlem, New York. She grew up in different parts of New York, including Harlem, Bedford Stuyvesant, and Queens. She also lived in New Jersey. When she was six, she changed her first name to Toni. Later, in 1970, she added Bambara to her name. She found the name Bambara in an old sketchbook that belonged to her great-grandmother. Bambara is the name of a group of people from West Africa. Toni felt this new name showed all her life experiences and helped her find her purpose. In 1970, Toni had a daughter named Karma Bene Bambara Smith.
Toni went to Queens College in 1954. Most of the students there were white. At first, she wanted to be a doctor. But she loved the arts, so she decided to study English instead. Toni loved jazz music and many other art forms. She joined the Dance Club at Queens College. She also worked in theater, helping with costumes and managing the stage. Toni was part of the folk singing scene in the 1950s. These songs often had strong political messages. She graduated from Queens College in 1959 with a degree in Theater Arts and English Literature.
Her Work and Studies
After college, Toni studied mime in Paris, France. She became very interested in dance. She earned her master's degree from City College, New York, in 1964. During this time, she also worked as a program director in Brooklyn. She helped people through New York social services. She also worked as a recreation director in a hospital's psychiatric ward.
From 1965 to 1969, she worked with City College's SEEK program. This program helped students get an education. She taught English and published her writings. She also worked with the program's black theater group. In 1969, Toni taught English in Newark, New Jersey. She became an assistant professor of English at Rutgers University in 1969. She taught there until 1974. She was also a visiting professor at Emory University and Atlanta University. She taught at other colleges too, like Spelman College. From 1986, she taught film-script writing in Philadelphia. Toni also gave talks and readings at places like the Library of Congress.
Sadly, Toni Cade Bambara was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1993. She passed away two years later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Toni Cade Bambara's Activism
Toni worked hard in black communities. She wanted to raise awareness about ideas like feminism and black pride. When she became a professor at City College, she wanted to make it more welcoming. She pushed for new classes, like a nutrition course, to teach students about their culture. Toni also wanted to create a special academy. This academy would help students learn more about political and social problems. It would also help them connect with their culture.
Toni was involved in many community and activist groups. Her work was shaped by the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Nationalist movement of the 1960s. In the early 1970s, she traveled to Cuba. She went with other women to learn how women's political groups worked there. She used these experiences later when she moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There, she helped start the Southern Collective of African American Writers.
Toni Cade Bambara's Writing Career
Her Early Writings and Collections
Toni was a key part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s. She also played a role in the rise of black feminism. Her writing was inspired by the streets and culture of New York. She learned from groups like Garveyites and Pan-Africanists. Jazz music also had a big influence on her.
Her book The Black Woman (1970) was very important. It was the first collection of writings by African-American women. It included poems, short stories, and essays. Famous writers like Nikki Giovanni and Alice Walker were in it. Toni also included work from her students. Another book, Tales and Stories for Black Folk (1971), featured works by Langston Hughes and others.
Toni also wrote the introduction for This Bridge Called My Back (1981). This was another important book by women of color. While some called her a "feminist," Toni focused on "Blackhood." She believed in concentrating on being Black rather than just manhood or femininity.
Short Stories and Novels
Toni's 1972 book, Gorilla, My Love, was a collection of 15 short stories. She wrote these stories between 1960 and 1970. Most of them are told from the point of view of a young girl. These stories are written in a lively, urban black English style. The narrators are often tough, brave, and caring young girls. They challenge the idea of black women as victims. Toni called her writing "upbeat" fiction. Some famous stories in this collection include "Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird", "Raymond's Run", and "The Lesson".
Her novel The Salt Eaters (1980) is about a healing event. It takes place during a community festival in a made-up city in Georgia. The story shows the deep challenges that African-American community organizers face, especially women. Toni explored ideas of sickness and health in the black community. She encouraged action through her characters. The Salt Eaters was her first novel, and it won the American Book Award. In 1981, she also won the Langston Hughes Society Award.
Film Work and Later Novels
After The Salt Eaters became successful, Toni focused on making films and TV shows. From 1980 to 1988, she produced at least one film each year. She wrote the script for the 1986 film The Bombing of Osage Avenue. This film was about a big police attack on the MOVE group in Philadelphia in 1985. The film was very successful. It was shown at film festivals and on national TV.
Her novel Those Bones Are Not My Child was published after she passed away in 1999. This book is about the disappearance and murder of 40 black children in Atlanta. This happened between 1979 and 1981. The famous writer Toni Morrison edited this book and called it Toni Bambara's masterpiece. Toni Morrison also put together some of Bambara's short stories, essays, and interviews in a book called Deep Sightings & Rescue Missions (1996).
Toni Bambara's work was always very political. She cared deeply about unfairness and oppression. She especially focused on the lives of African-American communities. Her writing often featured strong female characters. It was deeply rooted in African-American culture, using its language and oral traditions. Jazz music also influenced her writing style. Toni also gave credit to her strong mother, Helen Bent Henderson Cade Brehon. Her mother taught her and her brother to be proud of their African-American culture and history.
Toni also contributed to the PBS documentary series American Experience. She worked on Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies. She was also one of four filmmakers who made the 1995 documentary W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices.
Awards and Recognition
In 2013, Toni Cade Bambara was honored by being added to the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. This happened after her passing.
Her Books (Fiction)
- Gorilla, My Love. New York: Vintage, 1972 (short stories)
- The Sea Birds Are Still Alive: Collected Stories. New York: Random House, 1977 (short stories)
- The Salt Eaters. New York: Random House, 1980 (novel)
- Deep Sightings and Rescue Missions: Fiction, Essays and Conversations. New York: Pantheon, 1996 (various writings, edited by Toni Morrison)
- Those Bones Are Not My Child. New York: Pantheon, 1999 (novel)
Books She Edited
- as Toni Cade (editor): The Black Woman: An Anthology. New York: New American Library, 1970
- Toni Cade Bambara (editor): Tales and Stories for Black Folks. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971
Films She Wrote Scripts For
- Zora. WGBH-TV Boston, 1971
- The Johnson Girls. National Educational Television, 1972.
- The Long Night. American Broadcasting Co., 1981.
- Raymond's Run. Public Broadcasting System, 1985.
- The Bombing of Osage Avenue. WHYY-TV Philadelphia, 1986.
- W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices (1995)
