Some Poetry, A Monument, and Resources

Miss E and her amazing eyelashes!

I recently checked out Nikki Giovanni's book The Best 100 African American Poems from my local library. (The book contains an audio CD!) Since my daughter is interested in repetition, memorization, and lyrical rhymes (be it a saying or a song), I thought this book would be an interesting read. I skimmed old favorites like "Harlem" by Langston Hughes and discovered new treasures, like this poem entitled "Who Can Be Born Black?" by Mari Evans:

Who

can be born black

and not

sing

the wonder of it

the joy

the

challenge.

And/to come together

in a coming togetherness

vibrating with the fires of pure knowing

reeling with power

ringing with the sound above sound above sound

to explode/in the majesty of our oneness

our comingtogether

in a comingtogetherness

Who

can be born

black

and not exult!

Also, I just recently heard about the MLK monument set to open this year and hope to visit. You can take a virtual tour here and read about the monument's features here.

I have a section in my Amazon store dedicated to African American resources. This section of my store contains video and book resources that discuss, dissect, and explore African American experiences, perspectives, and culture. This is the newest addition to my Amazon store, and I'm working to build up resources----so please be patient.