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These poems about discrimination delve into the complex experiences of individuals who face prejudice and marginalization. They explore various aspects of discrimination, shedding light on racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and other forms of bias.
Some poems may capture the pain and frustration of being judged solely based on one’s race, gender, or sexual orientation. They may express the longing for acceptance, equality, and the right to be seen and heard without prejudice.
The poem ‘Lepidoptera’ is a metaphorical representation of a mentally ill mind, likened to a broken butterfly wing. The poet is imploring society to support those with mental illness.
On broken butterfly wing,
your crippled mind fluttered into my schoolroom. Failed. And died.
I couldn’t do a thing to stir its organs
of poor maimed sense to life again.
‘Caged Bird’, or ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ as the poem is sometimes referred to, by Maya Angelou, is arguably one of the most moving and eye-opening poems ever written.
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
‘Hard Rock Returns to Prison’ is an allegory of oppression and forced submission of Black inmates in America.
Hard Rock / was / “known not to take no shit
From nobody,” and he had the scars to prove it:
Split purple lips, lumbed ears, welts above
His yellow eyes, and one long scar that cut
‘I Dream A World’ by Langston Hughes is a powerful, short poem that outlines the poet’s vision of a utopian world. There, no one is judged on the color of their skin and all people have access to the same freedoms.
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
‘Tableau’ by Countee Cullen is a powerful poem about two men, one black and one white, who appear to be romantic partners.
Locked arm in arm they cross the way
The black boy and the white,
The golden splendor of the day
The sable pride of night.
‘Southern Gothic’ is an autobiographical poem that looks at the racist attitudes the author encountered as a child.
I have lain down into 1970, into the bed
my parents will share for only a few more years.
Early evening, they have not yet turned from each other
‘Black Nikes,’ a poem by the American poet Harryette Mullen, was first published in Santa Monica Review (1997). This poem records a metaphorical journey of black people to stars.
We need quarters like King Tut needed a boat. A slave could row him to
heaven from his crypt in Egypt full of loot. We’ve lived quietly among the
stars, knowing money isn’t what matters. We only bring enough to tip the
shuttle driver when we hitch a ride aboard a trailblazer of light. This comet
‘Jack Johnson Does The Eagle Rock’ appears in Cornelius Eady’s poetry collection Victims of the Latest Dance Craze. This poem is an allusion to the great American boxer Jack Johnson and how he was denied a ticket on the Titanic.
Perhaps he left the newspaper stand that morning
dazed, a few pennies lighter.
The illustration of the crippled ocean liner
with the berth he had the money
Amiri Baraka’s ‘SOS’ is a passionate call for unity, urging Black people to come together for urgent change. Much like today’s social movements, the poem stresses collective action to address systemic injustice.
Calling all black people
Calling all black people, man woman
child
Wherever you are, calling you,
‘White Lies’ by Natasha Trethewey is a poetic exploration of racial identity in the American South through three lies a girl tells about being white.
The lies I could tell,
when I was growing up
light-bright, near-white,
high-yellow, red-boned
‘We Refugees’ emphasizes shared vulnerability to displacement, urging empathy for refugees and challenging prejudice.
I come from a musical place
Where they shoot me for my song
And my brother has been tortured
By my brother in my land.
‘My Mother Dreams Another Country’ looks at the worries that afflicted a woman in the 1960s pregnant with a mixed-race child.
Already the words are changing. She is changing
from colored to negro, black still years ahead
This is 1966 - she is married to a white man -
and there are more names for what grows inside her.
‘Miz Rosa Rides the Bus’ is written by a prominent member of the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC), Angela Jackson. It dates back to the late 19th century when the Jim Crow laws existed.
That day in December I sat down
by Miss Muffet of Montgomery.
I was myriad-weary. Feets swole
from sewing seams on a filthy fabric;
‘Them & [uz]’ by Tony Harrison describes the ways in which society judges individuals based on their accents and how unfair this fact is.
αίαι, ay, ay! … stutterer Demosthenes
gob full of pebbles outshouting seas –
4 words only of mi ‘art aches and … ‘Mine’s broken,
you barbarian, T.W.!’ He was nicely spoken.
‘Can’t have our glorious heritage done to death!’
‘& even the black guy’s profile reads ‘sorry, no black guys” by Danez Smith explores racial rejection, self-love, and empowerment.
imagine a tulip, upon seeing a garden full of tulips, sheds its petals in disgust, prays some bee will bring its pollen to a rose bush. imagine shadows longing for a room with light in every direction. you look in the mirror & see a man you
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