jasper texas 1998

“homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton (1987)

Clifton’s most recognizable work celebrates Black women’s bodies. Like Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman,” this poem reclaims features of Black women’s bodies that are often dismissed and criticized by white beauty standards. In doing so, Clifton also contextualizes the Black body in its historical heritage.

“Power” by Audre Lorde (1978)

Like Clifton’s “jasper texas 1998,” Lorde’s poem is inspired by and centered on a real-life act of violence against Black Americans. This poem, featuring themes of racial injustice, prejudice, power, and racism, describes Lorde’s reaction to the 1973 murder of Clifford Glover, a ten year old Black boy, by racist undercover cop Thomas Shea, and Shea’s subsequent legal acquittal.

“Riot” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1994)

Another poem inspired by violence on Black Americans, Brooks’s poem is a response to the rioting in Chicago after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In an effort to reveal the cause of the anger, she uses stereotypical and historical traits to describe Black people and their feelings. But rather than take the poetic voice of a Black rioter, she instead focuses on a white police officer’s reaction to the protesting to emphasize racial tensions.