Poem 34 from the Freedom Summer Collection
Background: Poem 34 is one of forty-five poems written on butcher paper on topics related to the Civil Rights Movement in the collection titled Freedom Summer Poems. The collection includes poems about Mississippi but also references the Vietnam War and other international events according to the Mississippi State Library Course Reserves. The Course Reserves also explain that Civil Rights activists in COFO (Council of Federated Organizations) safehouses in Jackson, MS, may have written the poems during Freedom Summer, but the poems resemble some other materials located at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History that were created at Freedom Schools too. [1] While the poems could have been written in the safe houses or schools, the exact origin of the poems is unknown. Regardless of their origin, the poems address themes pertinent to Freedom Summer – the campaigns that increased awareness about the unfair suppression of African-American voters in Mississippi during June 1964.
Analysis: Specifically, Poem 34 describes a row of shacks in Sylvester, Georgia, that the speaker considers similar to shacks in New York City, New York. The speaker acknowledges the oppression of African-Americans across the nation, from Georgia to New York, and uses the recurring symbol of the shacks to emphasize the widespread oppression. The speaker suggests that cities in both the North and South have entire communities of African-Americans suffering from struggles with poverty and maltreatment. The poem is written mostly in black marker, but the line "with blacks" is written in red marker instead, which puts the emphasis on the people living in the shacks and their futures. The poet clearly wants to highlight the line "with blacks" and perhaps even draw attention to the bloodshed and violence across the nation by using a red marker. The poet also ironically writes in free verse, without any rhyme or regular meter, in this poem about a lack of economic freedom. As a whole, the poet describes poverty as a form of systematic oppression that continuously impacts African-Americans across the nation.
Impact: When most people think of poetry on topics related to the Civil Rights Movement, they remember famous poets from the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes or Claude McKay. Others may think of poets who wrote during the Civil Rights Movement like Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni, and June Jordan. [2] However, few people realize just how many people used poetry as a way to express their frustrations and heartbreaks, joys and triumphs, whether independently or within the Freedom Schools. Poem 34 represents just one of many mostly unrecognized poems that provide insight into the minds of those who witnessed Freedom Summer, learned in Freedom Schools, and grappled with the injustices and atrocities around them. If you want to learn more about the mindsets of these individuals, read Poem 34, explore the larger collection Freedom Summer Poems, and check out the second link below for more poetry written in Freedom Schools.
Mississippi Freedom School Poems from Poetry Foundation [3]
[1] Freedom Summer Poems, 1964. MSS 380 Freedom Summer Poems. Manuscripts Division, Special Collections Department, Mississippi State U Libraries, Mississippi State, MS.
[2] "Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement." Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation. org/collections/146367/poetry-and-the-civil-rights-movement. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
[3] Cooper, Nancy, compiler. Freedom School Poetry. Packers Press / Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, 1966.