Title: 10 Powerful Poems to Celebrate Black History Month - Read Poetry
Headings: 10 Powerful Poems to Celebrate Black History Month
10 Powerful Poems to Celebrate Black History Month
“Praise Song for the Day” by Elizabeth Alexander
“Heartbeats” by Melvin Dixon
“Canary” by Rita Dove
“A Brief History of Hostility” by Jamaal May
“History as Process” by Amiri Baraka
“Miz Rosa Rides the Bus” by Angela Jackson
“Afterimages” by Audre Lorde
“We Should Make a Documentary About Spades” by Terrence Hayes
“__________ my loved blacknesses & some blacknesses I knew” by Khadijah Queen
“Let American Be America Again” by Langston Hughes

Content: The poem paints a picture of everyday life in America, pointing out the many who have struggled and died for this day. “ Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day,” she writes. “Heartbeats” by Melvin Dixon
Melvin Dixon was one of the first poets to explore the complexities of blackness and queerness. “ As white gays deny multiculturalism among gays, so too do black communities deny multisexualism among their members. Against this double cremation, we must leave the legacy of our writing and our perspectives on gay and straight experiences,” he said at the Third National Lesbian and Gay Writers Conference. His poem “Heartbeats,” mimics the rhythm of a heartbeat while it provides intimate flashes of his struggles. “Canary” by Rita Dove
Known for her ability to mix elegant lyricism with political scope, Rita Dove’s impact on American poetry is immeasurable. In addition to being the youngest-ever US Poet Laureate, she’s a Pulitzer-Prize winner, recipient of a National Humanities Medal, and more. Her poem, “Canary” likens singer Billie Holiday to a caged bird. “ Fact is, the invention of women under siege / has been to sharpen the love in the service of myth,” writes Dove. “