February 1 marked the 115th anniversary of the birth of celebrated and beloved African-American jazz poet, social activist and Harlem Renaissance pioneer Langston Hughes.
I’m sad to say that it was only in the last few years that I discovered Hughes and his work. African-Americans were woefully underrepresented in my school books, with only a few notable names popping up here and there, such as Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King. There’s a great deal of history I still need to explore and discover. I’m so thankful to the blog community for expanding my horizons, introducing me to incredible writers, poets and thinkers, and for bringing so much knowledge, culture and awareness into my life.
In honour of Mr. Hughes’ birthday and in celebration of Black History Month, I’m sharing one of my favourite poems, and one that never fails to move me, no matter how many times I might read it. Mother to Son, written in 1922, feels as relevant now as it must have when it was first released so many decades ago.
I was the guest teacher on Langston Hughes birthday yesterday. I had the English classes I taught read four of Hughes’ poems. Many blacks are in these classes but they knew nothing of him or of the Harlem Renaissance. It was a joy to introduce Hughes to them and point out how far America has come since early 20th century, but how still so much more needs to be accomplished. My favorite Langston Hughes poem is “Harlem” (“what happens to a deferred dream?”).
Yes, we must keep going even when the going is hard.
Such a wonderful poet. Thanks for sharing this today.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! We are on the same wavelength this week. Mother to Son is one of my all time favorites. I think kids really get it too. I couldn’t resist picking up a YA biography from my library book sale a while ago. I’m now looking at it a few pages at a time. What an incredible artist, our Mr. Langston Hughes.
Have a great week!
“Don’t you fall now—” It is inspiring as are all of his poems. I have a page torn out from some teacher magazine of long ago with this poem on it, the mother looking at the son. Thanks for sharing, Jane.
Perfect poem to share this week, Jane, thank you. Talking with one of my daughter’s third-graders last spring, she (the thoughtful young student) told me how she loved a poem she had discovered in a book at home. She couldn’t remember the poet’s name, but I figured out it was Langston Hughes; it made me happy that his words were still so fresh and simply on their own, resonated with her.
This is a great poem, with masterful use of language. My son’s class teaches it. I’m glad they have opened the doors of respected books to include more than just the white males. I’d hate to see us go back.
Did you see the full page Langston Hughes in the NY Times?
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/insider/3-questions-langston-hughes-poem-anchors-entire-page.html
Thanks for sharing the Langston Hughes poem. Amazing!
Hughes = brilliance in his brevity. Thanks for sharing this poem, Jane! =)
I love Langston Hughes! Thanks for sharing this post.