Harlem, New York (March 25, 1939- December 9,1995) age 56 yrs

Toni Cade Bambara, born Miltona Mirkin Cade, was a civil rights activist, writer, teacher, and filmmaker. Bambara’s influence for her writings came from the streets of New York. She experienced the teachings of Garveyites, Muslims, Pan-Africanists, and Communists there. This happened against the backdrop and the culture of jazz music. In the early 1970s, she risked travel to Communist Cuba and Vietnam to research women. In 1980, Bambara published her first novel, The Salt Eaters, which earned the American Book Award. In 1988, she won the Langston Hughes Society Award, another prestigious writing honor.