Poetry and Public Life

Introduction

Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Trevyon Martin. These names have become both a rallying cry and a roll call for the public outcry over minorities dying at the hands of someone in authority. According to the F.B.I’s account, numbers of death by police officers have increased only slightly.[1] But technologies like camera phones, social media, YouTube, and news media reporting have shed light on these tragedies more continuously to the general public. My students can’t go a week without seeing something in their social media feed or local and national news about violence in their own community or violence towards minorities elsewhere. My students also saw the acquittal of police officers in these deaths as well as the subsequent protests and riots that occurred throughout the country. My students said they wished they could be at these protests to vent their frustration. But what will that accomplish? Dozens of people hurt or arrested for vandalism, millions of dollars in repairs and in some cases, death of innocent bystanders. As students of color, they feel the pains and injustices of what happened to these young men. But acting out rashly really doesn’t solve any problem; it only perpetuates negative stereotypes of youths and minorities. In a time of such social and political disparity, it is important for my students to find a medium to express their emotions in a meaningful way. I want to give them hope that they, and their voice, matter and that one of the strongest weapons that they can use to combat injustice and inequality is education. And written work, specifically poetry, is one way for disenfranchised groups to gain credibility with a white audience and advance their agenda.

The Progressive Era isn’t merely an event that happened in the past, but a contemporary topic. The goals set during the Progressive Era still apply today. Yes, racism and racial violence still exist. That doesn’t mean that those who fought for equality in the 19^th and 20^th century failed. They succeeded in highlighting inequality and injustice despite all the insurmountable obstacles that these marginalized groups faced, and their poets often contributed to this success. The goals of the Progressive poets are nowhere near accomplished, but their fight continues on through contemporary artists. This unit deals with the contributions of African-Americans, women, and the urban poor in leading the fight for social and political equality and how their fight continues on today, influencing future generations, and hopefully my students.

This unit will cover the core curriculum areas of Social Studies, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Students will be required to read literature, analyze primary sources, complete writing assignments, and create an original poem. Throughout this unit, students will also be engaged in dialogue and discussion to help further develop their analytical skills. Their culminating assignment, besides the formal assessment, will involve the creation of an original poem responding to a current social or political issue.