Black History Month Poetry for Kids
Black history month is the ideal time to recall, reflect upon and recite the poetic words that helped sustain the races through generations of strife.
Children can draw insight, inspiration and enjoyment from reading and repeating the words written primarily to enlighten and uplift the black race.
There's no limit to the fun children can have while memorizing and speaking selected poems out loud, either individually or in groups.
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Langston Hughes' words have lasting power
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Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is hailed as a black poet whose words continually resonate with young people. Hughes' poems were emblematic of the Harlem Renaissance art movement, which celebrated burgeoning black culture. The verses of his iconic "I, too, sing America" speak to optimism for the future in spite of life's current obstacles. His work is compiled the Coretta Scott King Award-winning, "Poetry for Young People" (Sterling Books).
Poetry provides history lessons
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Another Langston Hughes poem that's packed with powerful imagery, and relatively easy for kids to learn and recite is, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." This piece evokes the deep-seated determination it takes to succeed.
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Black poems stress willpower
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Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" is one of the most inspiring poems ever penned in Black history. It describes the grace the race has shown in defiance of disgraceful treatment over the ages. Angelou's reflective prose gained her "grande dame" status in the literary world; affording her opportunities to recite at inaugurations and other stately events.
Angelou's Approach: One Voice, One Destiny
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Maya Angelou's poems can ring most poignantly when recited aloud by groups of children. "Still I Rise" (39 lines) and "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" (44 lines) both evoke a sense of everlasting hope.
Black poetry shows new signs of life
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Nikki Giovanni, the ground-breaking feminist poet who first gained great acclaim during the "Black Power" movement of the 1960s and '70s, has embraced latter days' poetry of the so-called "streets." Giovanni spearheaded the "Hip Hop Speaks to Children" (Source Books) compilation, which spotlights poems with urban music twists.
Giovanna can be viewed as an urban pioneer herself. The turbulent Civil Rights, Viet Nam War and Women's Liberation eras infused her poetry with unique irony, humor and tempered rage.
Black poetry? Or rapper's delight?
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In "Hip Hop Speaks to Children", which is sold with an accompanying CD, dozens of hip hop music artists and "spoken word" performers are featured as modern flag bearers for positive thought. Black poetry's past and present meld in works by Gil Scott-Heron, A Tribe Called Quest, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tupac Shakur.
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- Photo Credit flickr.com, nndb.com
