Naomi Long Madget has just died at 97. Her poem “Midway” continues to inspire.
Tag Archives: Black Lives Matter
Mountains Loom and I Won’t Stop Now
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Midway", Civil Rights Movement, Naomi Madgett Long Comments closed
Trump’s Troops Have No Stinkin’ Badges
Trump’s special federal troops claims they need not wear identifying badges, bringing to mind the most famous line from the novel (and film) “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged B Traven, Donald Trump, International Customs and Border Enforcement, Portland Oregon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre Comments closed
The Glory of the Coming of the Lord
“The Battle of the Hymn of the Republic” is one of the most influential set of lyrics in American history–for good and for bad.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Battle Hymn of the Republic", Civil War, Julie Ward Howe, racism Comments closed
Black Cat Fights for the Day He’ll Be Free
Friday Attempts to demonize Black Lives Matter take me back to 1968, when the Black Panthers were similarly demonized. Their response to murderous cops was to arm themselves, which was the last time that Republicans supported significant gun control legislation. It also led to some shootouts and to the police assassination of Fred Hampton and […]
I Am a Part of You and You of Me
Langston Hughes provides an important and humane voice at this point in time.
From God’s Breath to “I Can’t Breathe”
Wednesday This past Juneteenth I was flipping through channels and caught MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell quoting James Weldon Johnson’s “Creation.” It was a moving application of poetry to this important moment in time. Mitchell was referring to George Floyd’s plaintive cry “I can’t breathe” before he was suffocated by Minneapolis police. Johnson’s poem, she said, reminds […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Creation", George Floyd, James Weldon Johnson, police brutality Comments closed
Tate’s Dangerous Ode to the Confederacy
I find odes to the Confederate dead (such at that written by Allen Tate) more dangerous even than Confederate statues.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Lee in the Mountains", "Ode to the Confederate Dead", Allen Tate, Confederate statues, Donald Davidson, Reconstruction Comments closed
Juneteenth & Freedom’s Challenges
Rolle’s poem about Juneteenth makes it clear that freedom, no less than fighting for freedom, is hard
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Free at Last Juneteenth", Civil War, Juneteenth, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle Comments closed
Black Lives, Durable as Daisies
This previously unpublished Lucille Clifton is perfect for our tumultuous time.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "i have gathered my losses", Lucille Clifton, police killings Comments closed
