Toni Cade was born on March 25, 1939 in New York, New York. She lived with her mother Helen Brent Henderson Cade in and out Harlem, Queens, and Jersey City. She received her education at Queens College and the City College of the City University of New York. In 1961 she traveled to Europe to study acting and mime. She became a writer, activist, and teacher. She was active in both the civil rights and the women’s movements. She gave frequent lectures at universities such as Livingston College of Rutgers University. Cade had a daughter named Karma. Toni Cade adopted her surname, Bambara, in 1970. She stumbled across the tribal name in her grandmother’s trunk. The tribe was known for their method of writing and cosmology (Hargrove 34). She felt it fit her lifestyle and pride toward her African heritage perfectly. Toni Cade Bambara wrote short stories, novels, articles, essays, and films. Bambara passed away on December 9, 1995 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

     Toni Cade Bambara considered herself, “a Pan-Africanist-Socialist-Feminist in the United States (Hargrove 33).” All of her writings reflect her self-description. Bambara credits her mother as a big influence towards her career as a writer. She explains, “her mother gave her permission to wonder, dawdle, and daydream (Hargrove).” Bambara hoped that her writing would empower the civil rights and women’s movement. In 1959 Bambara published her first short story, “Sweet Town” which can be found in her collection, “Gorilla, My Love.” All of the biographical sources categorized Bambara as both a southern and northern writer. This is because she frequently uses southern settings and characters in her writing. Bambara frequently uses young black females as main characters for short fiction. These characters experience vulnerability and have determination (Hargrove 38). Rae Ann is an example. She has to cope with beginning menstruation alone. The 1970’s was the busiest time for Bambara. In this decade she published two anthologies, two short story collections, a novel, and several articles. Toward the end of Bambara’s life she began experimenting with film. She is responsible for a documentary that aired on PBS called “The Bombing of Osage Avenue.” Toni Cade Bambara’s goal was to create a female vocabulary and imagery for her readers (Hargrove 39). She seems to have done so in many different literature forms.

“Bambara, Toni Cade.” Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Sprinfield MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995.  Literature Resource Center. Gale. Vale-Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. 13 June 2009Hargrove, Nancy D. Contemporary fiction writers of the South a bio-bibliographical sourcebook. Westport, Conn: Greenwood P, 1993. 32-39.

“Toni Cade Bambara - Biography -.” Biography.com. 16 June 2009 .