Editing Beat Generation (section)

===African Americans===
Although African Americans were not widely represented in the Beat Generation, the presence of some black writers in this movement did contribute to the movement's progression. While many of the Beats briefly discussed issues of race and sexuality, they spoke from their perspectives—most being white. However, black people added a counterbalance to this; their work supplied readers with alternative views of occurrences in the world. Beats like the poet [[Bob Kaufman|Robert "Bob" Kaufman]] and the writer LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) provide through their work distinctly Black perspectives on the movement. Kaufman wrote about a number of his experiences with the racist institutions of the time. Following his time in the military, he had trouble with police officers and the criminal justice system. Like many of the Beats, Kaufman was also a fan of [[jazz]] and incorporated it into his work to describe relationships with others. LeRoi Jones ([[Amiri Baraka]]) married Beat writer, Hettie Cohen, who became [[Hettie Jones]], in 1958. Together with [[Diane di Prima]], they worked to develop ''Yūgen'' magazine, named for the Japanese concept of [[Japanese aesthetics#Yūgen|yūgen]]. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were associated with several Beats ([[Jack Kerouac]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], and [[Gregory Corso]]). That is, until the assassination of the Civil Rights leader, [[Malcolm X]]. During this time, LeRoi Jones branched off from the other Beat writers, including his wife, to find his identity among the African-American and Islamic communities. The change in his social setting along with awakening influenced his writing and brought about the development of many of his most notable works, like ''Somebody Blew Up America'', in which he reflected on the [[September 11 attacks|attacks of 9/11]] and America's reaction to this incident about other occurrences in America.