DVAA Member since July 2020

Irving C Jones

About:

Irving Courtley Jones aka as Karamo Muchuri Sulieman (1955- ) is an African American poet. He received Honorable Mention in the 1999 Mellon Poetry Contest, for a 100+ page poem entitled Black Roses. He has also published in numerous magazines; journals and anthologies; among them San Fernando Poetry Journal; International Society of Poets; American Academy of Poets; Noble House Poetry collections and others. He also has several self-published poetry collections.
Karamo has written several short stories and has published these on the internet and in Kindle Direct publishing. He is also the author of two novels Karamo is an active member of the National Writers Union, Local 1981, UAW, AFL-CIO. He has served several years as a steering committee member of the Philadelphia Chapter and as Philadelphia chapter chair. He also serves as a member of the National Executive Board of the NWU.
Karamo is a peace and human rights activist. Since 1989, he has spent good many years working for racial equality while a member of the Communist Party. He was one of the founding activists of the Black Radical Congress. He has worked with that organization and several peace groups to end the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has supported SOMAFCO and the ANC in their struggle for independence. He considers himself a Pan African and a fervent believer in Marxism Leninism.

Artist Statement:

“I work in abstract oil and acrylic painting but someone asked for a self portrait and it came out well. Therefore I exhibited it.” Irving C Jones has a love of painting and pottery. He graduated from University of the Arts, where he earned a Masters in Teaching the Visual Arts.