Toni Cade Bambara (1939–1995) grew up in Harlem and Brooklyn, New York; and in Jersey City, New Jersey. She studied theater and English at Queens College and the City College of New York. She worked as a film writer and producer and taught college English. During the 1960s and 1970s, she was active in the Civil Rights movement. She published two collections of short stories, Gorilla, My Love and The Sea Birds Are Still Alive; a novel, The Salt Eaters; and several television and film scripts.