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: Using this metaphor, Angelou highlights the difference between white and black Americans. “Rosa” by Rita Dove
Poet and essayist Rita Dove was the second African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The poem, “Rosa,” from Dove’s 1999 book On the Bus With Rosa Parks, paints a picture of Rosa Parks at the moment she decides to stay in her seat. This moment in 1955 triggered the Montgomery Bus boycott and captivated the country’s attention. “Tradition” by Jericho Brown
A young poet from Louisiana, Jericho Brown’s debut poetry collection won the 2009 American Book Award. The Tradition, the book in which the titular poem appears, is his third collection. Using a sonnet structure, “The Tradition” parallels the tradition of gardening and caring for the earth with violence against African-Americans. Brown lists types of flowers throughout the piece. In the last line, the names of John Crawford, Eric Garner, and Mike Brown take their place. “White Privilege” by Gabriel Rameriz
Poet and teaching artist Gabriel Rameriz performed this poem for a “We are mitú” video on Facebook in 2017.