Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 7, 1934. ... After the assassination of Malcolm X, he took the name Amiri Baraka and became involved in the Black Nationalist poetry and literature scenes. He later identified himself as a Marxist. On January 9, 2014 Amire passed away due to Preoperative mortality, Imamu is a Swahili title for "spiritual leader", derived from the Arabic word Imam (إمام). According to Shaw, he dropped the honorific Imamu and eventually changed Amear (which means "Prince") to Amiri. Baraka means "blessing, in the sense of divine favor".