ken gibson
Groundbreaking of Kawaida Towers
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
(L-R) Alvin Gershen, Raymond Brown, Ken Gibson, and Amiri Baraka at the groundbreaking ceremony for Kawaida Towers on October 12, 1972. –Credit: Dwight J. Johnson/The Star-Ledger

Advance Newspaper (Jan 6, 1966)
Chapter Three- Part One- Electoral Politics, Chapter Three- Part One- Policing
Issue of the African-American newspaper, Advance, from January 6, 1966. The issue contains coverage of demands made by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) for the dismissal of Police Director Dominick Spina. CORE demanded Spina’s ouster in a meeting with Mayor Addonizio after a Black teenager, Walter Mathis, was fatally shot by Newark police. This issue also details several high-profile cases of police brutality from 1962-1966, a period in which Newark’s Black and Puerto Rican communities continuously advocated for police reform and accountability to no avail from City Hall. — Credit: Newark Public Library

The Newark Redevelopment and Housing Authority 1974 Annual Report
Chapter Four- Housing and the Stella Wright Rent Strike
Annual Report of the Newark Redevelopment and Housing Authority from 1974. The Authority was responsible for managing Newark’s public housing projects and urban renewal projects. — Credit: Rutgers University Libraries

First Annual Report of the Relocation Review Board (1972)
Chapter Four- Housing and the Stella Wright Rent Strike
First Annual Report of the Newark Relocation Review Board from 1972. The Relocation Review Board was formed as a result of the 1968 Medical School Agreements as an ombudsman and watchdog agency to prevent relocation abuses from urban renewal developments. — Credit: Barbara Kukla Papers, Newark Public Library

News and Views of Anthony Imperiale (1973)
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
Article written by State Assemblyman Anthony Imperiale, in which he explains his opposition to the Kawaida Towers housing project. Kawaida Towers, a high-rise housing project that Baraka planned to build in Newark’s predominantly white North Ward, was met by fierce opposition from white residents and politicians. — Credit: Seton Hall University Libraries

National Black Assembly Kawaida Towers Inquiry (April 16, 1973)
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
Excerpt from an inquiry into Kawaida Towers, held by the National Black Assembly Law and Justice Committee on April 16, 1973. Kawaida Towers, a high-rise housing project that Baraka planned to build in Newark’s predominantly white North Ward, was met by fierce opposition from white residents and politicians. — Credit: Seton Hall University Libraries

Temple of Kawaida- Chronology of Kawaida Towers (1973)
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
Timeline of events during the struggle over the construction of Kawaida Towers, compiled by Amiri Baraka’s Temple of Kawaida. The timeline spans from 1971-1973 and covers the major conflicts over Kawaida Towers, the proposed public housing project in the predominantly white North Ward. — Credit: The Black Power Movement, Pt. 1 (microfilm)

Temple of Kawaida Press Release (July 1973)
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
Press release issued by Amiri Baraka’s Temple of Kawaida in July 1973 describing physical attacks upon members of the Temple of Kawaida and Black laborers at the construction of Kawaida Towers. Kawaida Towers, a high-rise housing project that Baraka planned to build in Newark’s predominantly white North Ward, was met by fierce opposition from white residents and politicians. — Credit: The Black Power Movement, Pt. 1 (microfilm)

Temple of Kawaida Press Release (Oct 8, 1972)
Chapter Four- Amiri Baraka and Cultural Nationalism
Press release issued by Amiri Baraka’s Temple of Kawaida on October 8, 1972 to announce the groundbreaking ceremonies for Kawaida Towers. Kawaida Towers was a high-rise housing project that Baraka planned to build in Newark’s predominantly white North Ward. — Credit: The Black Power Movement, Pt. 1 (microfilm)