With the trial of Dylann Roof going on in my city, the pain of his actions is still very fresh in our hearts. His sickening act of murdering innocent churchgoers with the intent of starting a "race war" shows that racism is still alive in America.
Langston Hughes was one of the greatest authors of the Harlem Renaissance era of literature. Many of his works addressed issues concerning racism in America. Of course, incredible progress has been made since he wrote his pieces. However, more work needs to be done in order to fully move past racism in our country. One of my favorite poems of his is titled "Theme for English B.” He writes as a college student whom is "the only colored student in the class" throughout the poem. He talks about how he must walk across town to the Harlem YMCA where he lives because he can't afford to live anywhere else.
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He then transitions to talk about who he is. He tells us he likes "to eat, sleep, and be in love." Well, duh, who doesn't? Exactly. Every human, no matter their background, desires those simple things. He also says that he would like some records for his birthday, either Bessie, bop, or Bach. Bessie was a jazz musician and bop was a genre of music that were both popular with the youth of that day. Bach, on the other hand, was a classical music composer from the early 1700s. That's a pretty stark contrast to bop music. He includes these three requests to show that you can't assume any stereotypes about him just because he is a young, poor, black man living in Harlem. In the next line, his statement seems like it should be common sense, yet so many people believe the opposite. He says, "I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races." Just because one human is one color, doesn't mean that they are unable to enjoy what another human of a different color enjoys.
In the last stanza, he makes the most powerful statement of the poem. Speaking to his English professor, he says, "You are white- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American." Even if two people born in America hate each other, they still have one thing in common- they are American. Our country is supposedly founded on the idea that every human is equal. Therefore, if you are American, it is your duty to uphold that doctrine of equality, whether you like it or not. This lesson is not only key in terms of overcoming racism, but overcoming any hatred someone may harbor against another human, for any reason.
It's incredible how relevant the lesson in this Langston Hughes poem still is for our country. We've made great progress in overcoming deep-seeded hatred in America, but we must not become complacent in our pursuit, or those that hate will threaten the "American dream" of equality.
"If the people that are trying to destroy this world aren't taking a day off, then why should I?"
