Title: 10 Poems about Racism and Discrimination | Human Rights Careers
Headings: 10 Poems about Racism and Discrimination
10 Poems about Racism and Discrimination
“Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
“Rosa” by Rita Dove
“Tradition” by Jericho Brown
“White Privilege” by Gabriel Rameriz
“I Am Not The Indian You Had In Mind” by Thomas King
“Immigrant Blues” by Li-Young Lee
“Riot” by Gwendolyn Brooks
“Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall
“Afterimages” by Audre Lorde
“I, Too” by Langston Hughes

Content: The character observing the riots in the poem is John Cabot. A white man with privilege, he is horrified by what he calls “It,” or “the blackness.” He embodies the racist system that can drive people to riot. “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall
In 1963, an African-American church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. Four little black girls were killed. In this heartbreaking poem, Randall presents a conversation between a mother and daughter. The girl wants to join the Freedom March but is told she can’t because it’s too dangerous. Instead, she goes to church and her mother is confident in her child’s safety. In the last two lines, the poem reveals the horrible truth. “Afterimages” by Audre Lorde
A graphic and emotionally-challenging poem, “Afterimages” describes the effect that Emmet Till’s death had on Lorde.