Reading List for Students
“America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates
An American Patriotic song, sung to commemorate the beauty of the American landscape.
“Go Down, Moses”
Negro Spiritual and Hymn that is most common in the Black Church. The song tells the story of Moses’ journey to escape captivity from the Egyptians. Can also be read through the lens of slavery, where Harriet Tubman’s code name was Moses, and this song was sung during slaves’ escape to the North.
The Negro National Anthem: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
The Negro National Anthem, sung popularly by Blacks in America to celebrate independence and as a dedication to ancestors that fought for freedom.
“I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes
The poem was written in the 1926, and is Hughes’ declaration of America. He writes to let the reader know that he is also a part of America, and he is beautiful, just like anyone else. He writes to show that he should be included and accepted in America.
“Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes
The poem describes the narrator’s experience in America. He writes informing the reader that America was never America to him. He never had a place in America, yet is claiming that America needs to be “taken back,” and become what it once was—seemingly the land of the free, and a beautiful place to be.
“Why God Made Me Black” by Runett Nia Ebo
The poem, written in 1994 is formatted as a call and response. The writer is calling on God and asking why she is Black. The author shares examples of how Black represents negativity, something that is ugly and hated. The response is from God, and His declaration for how beautiful Black is.
“And We Are Still Here” by Millard Lowe
This contemporary poem is loaded with imagery and symbolism. The poem makes comparisons to how far Black people have come in America, and how much farther Blacks have to go, with the fact that “we are still here.” We are still here, implies that not much progress has been made. The writer also includes chorus lines from Negro Spirituals and Hymns between stanzas, such as “Nobody Knows the Troubles I’ve seen,” and “Amazing Grace…I once was lost....” These lines are there to symbolize ancestry, whereas the preceding lines speak of what is implied from the spiritual referenced subsequently. In other words, the “troubles seen,” and the act of “being lost” are outlined in preceding stanzas.
“Changes” by Tupac
The Hip-Hop song, similar to Lowe’s “And We Are Still Here,” shows the gains that Blacks have made in America, and how things must change, and as a contradiction Tupac repeats the line “that’s just the way it is,” implying that change may never come.
“We Will Not” by T.I.
This Hip-Hop song speaks to a movement of the new millennium, called “Black Lives Matter.” T.I. is proclaiming that Blacks must come together to fight police brutality, and that as the Negro Spiritual says “I shall not be moved,” T.I. is declaring that “we” as Blacks in America will not be moved in our stance to be treated equally and fairly in America. T.I. repeats the line “We will not,” stating that we will not continue to sit back and watch Black lives taken from us, and we will stand up and fight for justice.
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