It is wonderful to stand tall and proud in the face of unfair opposition, even if that means you have to wear a mask.
This article is the third in a five-part series of articles highlighting wise words from others. Each article will have another set of wise words from someone and some of the lessons those words teach us. Other articles in the series include the following:
Proverbs 31 (Click here to read the article.)
Langston Hughes “Mother to Son”
Paul Lawrence Dunbar “We Wear the Mask”
Maya Angelou “Phenomenal Woman”
Today I am going to share Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die.” As a young child, I remember wanting to be a black panther. I liked the idea of fighting against oppression and making the world a better place for my people. My career as a Panther was cut short before it even began. I was not allowed off the front steps, I was not allowed to use the telephone and I was denied access to the postal service.
While I could not be a panther. I did enjoy reading the poets of the Harlem Renaissance and through the 1960’s. One poem I read as a child that helped instill a sense of pride and admiration for the fight was Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die.”
Continued on page 2. Click 2 below to continue.