During the twenty-five years of her career as an artist and civil-rights activist, Toni Cade Bambara became known for her enormously diverse talents and her adherence to the egalitarian principles that consistently guided her work in all areas. She first appeared on the literary scene as a writer of short stories, and she established her reputation with two short-story collections, but she never allowed herself to be limited by a single genre. Bambara edited anthologies of essays, short stories, and black folklore. She wrote short stories, a novel, and television scripts. Throughout all her writings her vision remained remarkably consistent. Her work shows an unwavering commitment to exploring and improving African American social, political, and cultural conditions. In a 1983 interview with Claudia Tate, Bambara compared her work to a test of contemporary cultural presuppositions: "What I strive to do in writing, and in general . . . is to examine philosophical...