The Black Poets

I first laid eyes on the late, great Black poet and publisher, Dudley Randall, back in 1969, as a freshman accounting student at the University of Detroit, located on Livernois and McNichols, in Detroit, Michigan.I already knew about Randall because I graduated from Cass Technical High School, one of Detroit's jewels, in June, 1969. At Cass, I majored in Computer Programming. But, because I was always an avid reader, huge fan of poetry, and loved to write, I took several advanced English courses, where we studied a few of Randall's poems.So, when I got to U of D, the first thing I heard was that Dudley Randall, the author of "the Ballad of Birmingham", a sad, but powerful tribute to the 4 little Black girls murdered by a bomb planted in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, a mere 18 days after the historic March on Washington, was the reference librarian.His desk was on the first floor. And, whenever I saw him, he was working methodically and quietly, among stacks of books that were scattered about on what must have been his desk. It wasn't until I took several Black Literature courses, during the latter days of the Black Arts Movement in Detroit, that I discovered the real Dudley Randall and his impact on Black literature and American letters, in Detroit and around the country.Using his own money, Randall founded and financed the Broadside Press, located near the U of D campus, while working full time as a reference librarian. And his pioneering work as a Black publisher and mentor to a generation of young Black poets, like Don Lee, later known as Haki Madhubuti, and ex-convict, Etheridge Knight, best known for his poem, "the Idea of Ancestry" and the folk poem, "I Sing of Shine", opened up the closed doors of the White publishing world, and introduced White and Black America to a generation of Black poets, who had a lot to say.In one of my Black literature courses, taught by Mary Helen Washington, years before she became Dr. Mary Helen Washington, of "Black Eyed Susans and Midnight Birds" fame, one of the books we used, "the Black Poets", originally published in 1971, has to be called Dudley Randall's magnum opus.He was not only the editor of this unprecedented anthology, but some of his most complex and profound poetry, like "Black Poet, White Critic", "Roses and Revolutions", and "A Different Image", was included.As implied by each of the seven 5-star reviews, and explicitly stated by Dudley Randall in his scholarly introduction, from the beginning of the Black sojourn in America, through the 1960's, "the Black Poets" is the definitive anthology of Black poets, and their struggle to define themselves, the Black experience, and the movement towards the creation of what Randall called "a new poetry".This book is an absolute treasure. It should be be read and re-read by anyone who loves literature, in general, poetry, in particular, and is open-minded enough to benefit from the wisdom and profound insights this ancient art provides into the complexities, contradictions, failures, hopes, indomitable spirit and triumphs of the Black people who often died in attempts to make the promise of America a realilty.From the simple, but power packed rhythms, rhymes, and dialect of the "folk poetry" of unknown Black bards: "We raise de wheat, Dey gib us de corn; We bake de bread; Dey gib us de crust; We sif the meal; Dey gib us de huss; We peel de meat; Dey gib us de skin; and dat's de way Dey take us in),to Countee Cullen's 20th Century musing about what Black people, forcibly removed from our native land, may have lost, and the real meaning of the African Diaspora, What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea, Jungle star or jungle track, Strong bronze men, or regal black Women from whose loins I sprang, When the birds of Eden sang? One three centuries removed from the scenes his fathers loved, Spicy grove, cinamon tree, What is Africa to me?,Dudley Randall's, "the Black Poets", carefully and repeatedly read, takes American literature, poetry, and the idealistic, pristine life it often depicts, and turns it upside down, so that anyone, Black or White, with the eyes, heart, and willpower to discern and accept the truth, about the real Black experience in America, can be inspired to begin the hard work of making this country the land of freedom and equality, for everyone, that God meant it to be..

My mother was a great English and history teacher. This book was one of the books that she had in her collection. Recently, I was searching the web and found this gem. I remember I had several Easter speeches that came from this book and I had to had it for my personal collection. The memories not only of the Easter speeches, but also the nostalgic memories of my brother, sister and I pulling this from the shelf reading it on countless occasions laying in front of the bookshelf sparked me to want it. Now that I'm much older and have read it as an adult, it is amazing how your insight of the words of the spiritual hymns, the slave songs, three greats of the Harlem Renaissance flow much differently then when I was a child and a teenager. I was blessed to be introduced to this book so young. I am glad now it is a fixture in my own home. This is a must have!

I first read this book in 1972. It was my foundation for learning the works of The Negro Renaissance

If you could only own one book of poetry by African-American poets, this should be the one. It is -- on the one hand -- a legitimate scholarly collection of poetry stemming from slaves through the 1960s,and including renowned poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes. But, it is also a barebones, emotional journey into the hearts and minds of a people who have faced the most brutal oppression and adversity ever inflicted upon a people in America -- and survived to tell the tale. But anyone looking for single-minded thinking from the black `community' will not find it here. This collection shows the rich diversity of thought, experience, and insight of African-Americans, including those that push an examination of thought among Civil Rights-minded people in the 60s beyond the traditional with such poems as "What is the Color of Lonely?" This is a book one should own. I bought the library binding edition because it was the only hardcover version available at the time, Worth the extra cash for a hardcover book that will last a lifetime!

Nice addition to the library of any poet, or poet lover.Contains many famous and lesser known African American poets from civil war to current times

I am so sad this was published in such a cheap version, with font too small to enjoy the reading experience so that I cannot require it for college students, alas.

This is now my favorite anthology. Randall compiled a wide range of styles over a large span of time. Some of the hymns spoke to me on a spiritual level (no pun intended) because I heard them a few times as a child then never again. Others I'd heard for the first time. This is definitely a good book for an introduction to black poets and the black experience.

This book is a premier poetry book not just for black poets but for anybody who is into poetry. I love the range and depth of the styles of poetry in this book. You get everything from political to love to sex too fun to happiness. It should be considered part of the American Canon for literacy for anybody who's into history black history of American history writing literature poetry.

I am a poet. I read this book in the early 90’s & fell in love with a few poems in the 1960’s section. It’s funny cuz in 1991 I felt like the 60’s were 100 years before me & id been born in the wrong era… now I see how close we really were… anyway I bought this mostly for nostalgia & hoping the proceeds would go to black poets. Now I kinda feel like Penguin probably got all the money.. but who knows… The curtain that we hide behind The dark above where emotions lie & we, too afraid too shy To let our whispered thoughts be heard Exchange a look instead of wordsThat’s just a taste.. couldn’t find these poems anywhere online, glad I bought the book. Some of the poems like the one above bring tears to my eyes every time I read or recite them. I’m really glad they got saved ❤️‍🩹❤️

Dieses Buch enthält viele tolle unterschiedlich lange poetische Texte und bildet einen Querschnitt durch die afro-amerikanische Poesi.Ein MUSS für jeden, der sich für Poesi und politisch-kritische Inhalte interessiert. Traurigerweise sind die Inhalte aktueller als man vielleicht zu Anfang denkt...

Love it - glad I bought it.

Have to read this for university. Can't say much about the content yet, but the book arrived within a couple of days and although used it looks like new!

A great collection of poetry through out the ages, some are just sad....really sad. Some are a bit funny