Born Vallery Ferdinand III in New Orleans, Louisiana, he graduated from high school in 1964, joined the United States. Army and served in of Korea. He attended Carleton College (1964-1969) and Delgado Junior College, where he earned an Associate Arts degree in business administration.
A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. Foreign years he did radio shows on WWOZ. He was the editor of The Black Collegian magazine for 13 years (1970-1983), and has written for many publications including Negro Digest/Black World, First World, The Black Scholar, Black Books Bulletin, Callaloo, Catalyst, The Journal Of Black Poetry, Nimrod, Coda, Encore, The New Orleans Tribune, Wavelength, The New Orleans Music Magazine, The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
