Toni Cade Bambara

“Writing is one of the ways I participate in transformation.”

— Toni Cade Bambara

Life & Background:

Born in 1939 in New York City, Bambara was an activist, filmmaker, and author who was embedded in the Black Arts Movement. She earned a degree in theater and anthropology, which informed her storytelling and cultural critique. She taught in community programs and universities and remained committed to grassroots activism until her death in 1995.

Inspirations:

She drew inspiration from Black vernacular traditions, jazz music, feminist thought, African diaspora culture, and political liberation movements. Her writing was shaped by the Civil Rights era and the Black Power movement.

Themes in Her Work:

• Black identity and community empowerment

• Intersectional feminism and the role of women in activism

• Oral storytelling, language, and cultural memory

• Resistance to systemic oppression

• Joy, resilience, and collective healing

Notable Works:

• Gorilla, My Love (1972)

• The Salt Eaters (1980)

• Those Bones Are Not My Child (posthumously published, 1999)