Black poets left their mark on history

Black poets left their mark on history

Jayla Williams`, staff writer

Black History Month is the month where all black excellence is celebrated. Black poetry is associated with their history in America.

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes, “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley are just a few famous poems that are associated with the history of America and African-Americans.

Hughes was one of the best known poets during the Harlem Renaissance. Wheatley was born in West Africa and was sold to slavery at a young age. She was bought by the Wheatley family in Boston.

Maya Angelou is one of the most famous black poets to date. Angelou’s most famous poem “Still I Rise” acknowledges her self-love and self-acceptance, this also happens to be her favorite. The Maya Angelou quarter is the first coin in the America Women Quarters program. The new 25 cent coin will have a picture featuring Maya that is “inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived.”