The Past and Present of Black History Month Poetry

The Past and Present of Black History Month Poetry 

By ShayLa Blake 

If We Must Die

Claude McKay

If we must die, let it not be like hogs

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,

Making their mock at our accursèd lot.

If we must die, O let us nobly die,

So that our precious blood may not be shed

In vain; then even the monsters we defy

Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!

O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!

Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,

And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!

What though before us lies the open grave?

Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,

Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!


past and present of black history....png

Claude McKay, a Harlem Renaissance writer, writes the story of pride in If We Must Die. In his poem, he portrays the oppression of African American people and calls them to rise above their harsh treatment— to be better than those who wish to bring them down. Written during a time of segregation and the Black Community’s still immense oppression, McKay calls for Black people to proudly pronounce their culture and to fight against oppression.

 

the way out and the way forward

Cleo Wade

I loved myself

through what I had

been through 

this is how

I stayed afloat

even when

life’s waters

raised above my head

and when I needed

someone to trust

this is how I knew

which hands

were helping hands

and which

were hurting hands


past and present of black history.2.png

New up and coming poet Cleo Wade tells the story of healing through the rough times in life. Telling the story of how when things looked most dark, she was able to save herself and get through the tough times by her own will. She goes on to say that it’s in the tough times you realize who really works to help you in life and who exists only to bring you down. 

Cleo Wade and Claude McKay are only two of hundreds. Such courageous voices need to be heard, need to be recognized for their valor in both our modern day era and the preceding movements that defined it. The time for progress and change remains, but what we choose to do with it depends entirely upon our ability to see what’s ahead.

Previous
Previous

Must Watch Movies

Next
Next

Native Names in Sports: Stereotyping or Showing Support? Opinion Piece