my dream about being white

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

“homage to my hips” is one of Clifton’s most famous poems. Like so many of her pieces, this one praises the beauty of an aspect of the female body—more specifically, the African American female body so often maligned. As in “my dream of being white,” this poem upholds the belief that “Black is beautiful.”

“it was a dream” by Lucille Clifton (1992)

Clifton writes many poems that have “dream” in the title. Some of them are surreal. Some allude to biblical figures. Many of them embody a tone of self-empowerment or appreciation, but “it was a dream” is among the few poems where the speaker expresses self-recrimination and regret. Like in “homage to my hips” the speaker poses another version of herself, a “dream” version she can evaluate and interact with as though this dream self is a doppelganger from whom she can learn.

“Mirrors and Windows” by the Cave Canem Foundation (2001)

In this interview, Clifton and Sonia Sanchez discuss their work as it relates to the history of African American literature. Both Sanchez and Clifton were associated with the Black Arts Movement, and they discuss the need for more representation and visibility of African American voices in literature.