18 poems written by black writers on race, resistance and identity
A small homage to the countless and diverse black voices in poetry.
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed —
I, too, am America.
From Langston Hughes’ 1926 poem I, too, through to Black, performed at the 2020 BRIT Awards by south London rapper Dave, this is a list of some of the brilliant poems written by black writers on the themes of race, racism and personal identity.
This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, so if there are any poets or poems you love that aren’t on this list, please share them in the comments below.
Also, these poets have written about so much beyond those subjects. So if you like them, you should check out their other work too.
1) Saul Williams
Watch: Said the shotgun to the head
2) Alice Walker
Read: Remember me?
3) Langston Hughes
Read: I, too
4) Kayo Chingonyi
Watch: Initiation
5) Lemn Sissay
Watch: Colour blind
6) Benjamin Zephaniah
Watch: Dis poetry
7) Maya Angelou
Watch: And still I rise
8) Rick Dove
Watch: First words
9) Saeed Jones
Read: Boy in a stolen evening gown
10) Rita Dove
Read: Trayvon, redux
11) Lucille Clifton
Read: Harriet
12) Tyrone Lewis
Watch: Straight outta…
13) Suli Breaks
Watch: R.I.P [Rewind It Please]
14) James Baldwin
Read: Untitled
15) Dean Atta
Watch: I am nobody’s n*gger
16) Jamal / Kid Anansi
Watch: Let me tell you a little bit about myself
17) Dave
Watch: Black
18) Raymond Antrobus
Read: Two guns in the sky for Daniel Harris
If you want to do more to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement right now, here’s a list of links to petitions, places to donate and other resources.
