June Jordan: A Poet for the People
The legacy of a bisexual Black feminist activist and her literary vision
“Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth.” — June Jordan
I am always fascinated by the lives and legacies of those individuals who received no mention in my public school history classes. The people whose contributions were not considered grande enough to merit recognition. Even at the collegiate level, many names are left off the list of great thinkers and contributors to Black history, queer history, American history, world history.
June Jordan, in my opinion, is a name that has not been said enough.
Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 to two Jamaican immigrant parents. Her childhood was not easy. Between having an abusive father and losing her mother to suicide, Jordan was brought into the world with a familiarity with struggle. Yet that same troubled upbringing gave her an intensive and early appreciation for the written word. From a young age, Jordan wrote. She wrote extensively about her experiences, the abuses she suffered, sexual assault, and all the other things that shaped her.
And with that writing she stoked a spirit of activism and outspoken political dissent that, here in…
