Ben Caldwell, Harlem-born dramatist, artist, and, currently, essayist, was an active participant in the black arts movement of the 1960s, the most clearly defined period in black American letters since the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The black arts movement produced a group of artists who believed efforts to effect social change by appealing to the conscience of white America were futile. Deeming it more appropriate to make black Americans aware of their unwitting acquiescence in securing their own subordination, the writers of the movement sought to shame their black audience for failing to exert more control over the direction of their lives. Caldwell was one of the most prolific playwrights of this period, and his short satirical plays reflect the nationalistic spirit that prevailed among black literary artists. His talent was recognized in the theater community,and he was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for playwriting in 1970.

Caldwell...