Freedom Summer

“Power” by Audre Lorde (1978)

This intense poem focuses on the murder of 10-year-old Clifford Glover in 1973 and the police officer who, after admitting to the murder, was not convicted in court. Lorde’s poem about a horrible injustice differs from “Freedom Summer” mainly in its tone. Whereas “Freedom Summer” is somber, reflective, and seeks to honor the movement that the victims died for, Lorde’s poem focuses on the rage she feels as a result of Glover’s murder.

Lorde connects this anger to the legacy of oppression and violence against Black people in America, and she speaks about the power poetry has to deal with this issue.

“American History” by Michael S. Harper (2000)

This poem focuses on the murder of four Black girls in a Birmingham church on September 15, 1963. The bombing of the church was one of the most horrifying moments of the civil rights movement and in all of American history.

Harper connects that image to the image of the Middle Passage and the drowning of slaves during this time. He connects these two images to make the point that too often in American history, the atrocities committed against Black people are suppressed and lost to history.