today in Black history - feb 25

Robert Hayden, America’s First Black Poet Laureate, died on February 25, 1980

The challenges in Robert Hayden's life led him to poetry and he in turn, gifted the world with works that have the power to inspire and uplift. You can learn more about this globally acclaimed poet and read some of his poems here and here. A number of his books of poetry and prose can be found here.

I am conflicted even including Hayden in a post about Black history month, as I'm not sure how he would have felt about it.

"Although he wrote some of the most powerfully acclaimed poems about black history ever written, Hayden faced severe criticism in his day for refusing to call himself a “Negro Poet.” Believing there was no such thing as black or white poetry, Hayden rejected efforts to typecast him as a “black artist,” and rejected the “tribalism of race consciousness” prevalent at that moment in time..." --Shadi Toloui-Wallace

It is an interesting duality to be proud of one's heritage and also to want to be known as a human being first and foremost, rather than as a member of a racial or ethnic group. I think this is part of what DuBois was talking about.