A genre I think would be valuable to research and learn more about is poetry from African-American poets. For African American Literature, we had to get the oxford anthology of African American poetry, and it is phenomenal. The poems are split into topics such as, "What is Africa to me?" and "I Dream a World". I truly believe that so much about the black experience in America from the last centuries can be learned about through poetry. One of my favorite things about this book is it shows how varied and differing the black experience is for people. First, we will talk about one of my favorite poems by
Claude McKay, a famous Jamaican poet from the Harlem Renaissance. His whole life, through poetry, he fought against racial injustice and for black rights. "
If We Must Die" is a poem that speaks to both of these themes. He speaks triumphantly of dying for the cause of civil rights. "Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack; Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!"It is a beautiful, triumphant poem that leaves the reader with a sense of hope.
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| Claude McKay |
Another one of the poems in the anthology I loved, was called "
On the turning up of unidentified black female corpses ", written by
Toi Derricotte. Now, Toi Derricotte is very different from McKay- not only did they grow up in entirely different time periods (McKay dying in the 40s, when Derricotte was born) but they had very different black experiences. This shows through her poetry, and Derricotte frequently talked about being a light-skinned black woman and how being white-passing allowed her many privileges that she would have been unable to have without her "pass". However, in "On the turning up of black female corpses", Derricotte seems to find solidarity amongst black women. Speaking on the horror and terrifying aspects of being a black woman, as although they have an extremely high rate of violent crimes being perpetrated against them compared to white women, white women who are victims of violent crimes are more focused on by the media and investigators.
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| Toi Derricotte |
The final poem I will mention is called "Tired" by
Fenton Johnson. If "if we must die" showcased the anger and hope for a more racially equal future, and Derricotte showcased the fear of black women and people in general in society, "Tired" showcases the frustration and feeling of giving up that comes with the black experience according to Johnson. An African American poet from Chicago, Johnson, like McKay, was a forerunner of the Harlem Renassiance. Interestingly, he was born to an incredibly wealthy family, which distinguishes him from the last two poets mentioned. Again, his experience wildly different, but somehow similar to both poets. "Tired" talks about Johnson's frustration in that he feels he is "building up somebody else's civilization" and therefore, "It is better to die than grow up and find that you are colored." A depressing but honest look at the black experience at the turn of the century.
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| Fenton Johnson |
Anyways, as a white Latina living in 2020, it is hard for me sometimes to imagine what life was like 100 years, or even 30 or 40 years ago- let alone for as an African American. Reading these poems reminds and teaches me of their experiences, and how important it is to fight for civil rights even today.
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