Vera Teschow.ca
  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Education & Diplomas
    • Consulting & PR
    • Teaching Experience
    • Workshop Facilitation
    • Volunteer Experience
    • Extra-Curricular Leadership
    • Writing
  • Learn
  • BLOG
  • Contact

Happly MLKJ Day, Y'all!

1/21/2013

0 Comments

 
In honour of Martin Luther King Jr Day, which is celebrated today in some countries around the world, and in light of the upcoming celebration of Black History Month in Feb., let me blog today about one of my favourite poets, Langston Hughes.  Conveniently, he was black.

I was first introduced to Hughes’ work in University, in an undergraduate poetry class.  “Harlem Sweeties” filled me with wonder at the man’s appreciation for women of colour.  I had never considered the subtle physical beauty of such a rich variety of skin tones, and I never again looked upon black women without being reminded of Hughes’ words:
Picture
Supt Sinclair-Artwell
Picture
Lilliette, my best friend from elementary school
Picture
Lilette Weins, Realtor & Mother of Twins
Picture
Dr. Avis Glaze
Picture
Regina Jere-Malanda
Harlem Sweeties

Have you dug the spill  
Of Sugar Hill?
Cast your gims
On this sepia thrill:  
Brown sugar lassie,  
Caramel treat,  
Honey-gold baby  
Sweet enough to eat.  
Peach-skinned girlie,  
Coffee and cream,  
Chocolate darling  
Out of a dream.  
Walnut tinted

Or cocoa brown,   
Pomegranate-lipped   
Pride of the town.   
Rich cream-colored   
To plum-tinted black,   
Feminine sweetness   
In Harlem’s no lack.   
Glow of the quince   
To blush of the rose.   
Persimmon bronze   
To cinnamon toes.   
Blackberry cordial,   
Virginia Dare wine—
All those sweet colors   
Flavor Harlem of mine!   
Walnut or cocoa,   
Let me repeat:
Caramel, brown sugar,   

A chocolate treat.   
Molasses taffy,
Coffee and cream,   
Licorice, clove, cinnamon   
To a honey-brown dream.   
Ginger, wine-gold,   
Persimmon, blackberry,
All through the spectrum
Harlem girls vary—
So if you want to know beauty’s   
Rainbow-sweet thrill,
Stroll down luscious,
Delicious,
fine Sugar Hill.

www.poetryfoundation.org
The dialogue in that class marked my first real exposure to the concept of privilege and power, and of social justice, though I didn’t really understand the role of people like Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston until many years later.
Picture
I was eager to share Langston Hughes’ work with my students, once I became a teacher, and expand their horizons beyond the mundane Mother Goose many of them grew up with.  “Harlem Sweeties” seemed a bit racy, even for my hormone-filled grade 7s, though, and so I instead turned to poems like “Bad Morning” and “Youth” for my intermediate students, and “My People” for my grade 3s.  (I even found a book of photography on Amazon that accompanies the latter – it is a favourite in my own classroom now.)

Recently, I attended a church service celebrating MLK day.  In addition to being treated to an offertory sung by the “melted butter” voice of baritone Marcus Nance, the congregation also heard the choir sing an anthem, the words for which were written by – guess who? – Langston Hughes!

Hughes was the first African American poet who earned a successful living from his work.  He was uncompromising in his writing, walking the delicate tightrope between the misunderstanding and sharp criticism from his own people and the patronizing power pull of the dominating culture.  He believed passionately in the beauty and “real-ness” of his people, and wrote extensively of it, both in poetry and prose, as he saw it, never swayed by the opinions of his critics of any colour:

“If white people are pleased [at our work], we are glad.  If they are not, it doesn’t matter.  We know we are beautiful.  And ugly, too… If coloured people are pleased, we are glad.  If not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either.  …We stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.”

Many of us depend greatly on the opinions of others to sustain our self worth.  Perhaps we ought better look around us and focus less on our oppressors, and more on simply enjoying the view. 

Let us delight in the words and ideas at our disposal to describe what we contemplate, regardless of others' negativity towards us!
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Vera...

    Vera & her Sons, April 2021
    After writing for several teacher and multiple birth publications, including ETFO's Voice Magazine, Multiple Moments, and the Bulletwin, Vera turned her written attention to prolific blogging for some years, including BiB,  "Learn to Fly with Vera!"  and SMARTbansho .  Homeschooling 4 was her travel blog in Argentina.  She now spends more time on her Instagram (@schalgzeug_usw)  than her blog (pictures are worth a thousand words?!) 
    DISCLAIMER
    The views expressed on this blog are the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the perspectives of her family members or the position of her employer on the the issues she blogs about.  These posts are intended to share resources, document family life, and encourage critical thought on a variety of subjects.  They are not intended to cause harm to any individual or member of any group. By reading this blog and viewing this site, you agree to not hold Vera liable for any harm done by views expressed in this blog.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Argentina 2013
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cycling
    Family
    Flying
    Geocaching
    Honduras 2011
    Lakeshore
    Lgbtq
    Math Eyes
    Music
    Other Stuff
    Prince Edward Island
    Teaching And Learning
    Teaching-and-learning
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

Vera C. Teschow, OCT, M.Ed., MOT
Toronto, ON & St Peter's Harbour, PE
www.verateschow.ca 2021
Photos used under Creative Commons from Sean MacEntee, Studio Paars, Bengt Nyman, zeevveez, GoodNCrazy, CJS*64, Accretion Disc, CharlesLam, Courtney Dirks, CJS*64 "Man with a camera", Accretion Disc, Bobolink, Ian Muttoo, BioDivLibrary, Alaskan Dude, IsabelleAcatauassu, runran, Transformer18, jglsongs, Create For Animal Rights, david_shankbone, Paul J Coles, foilman, Newport Geographic, Photo Everywhere, kevin dooley, Claudio , Alex Guibord, Tscherno, f_mafra, Terry Madeley, musee de l'horlogerie, BobMacInnes, wwarby, jonathangarcia, amboo who?, chimothy27, Elin B, cliff1066™, Grzegorz Łobiński, Rennett Stowe, Farhill, Phil Manker, Guitarfool5931, airguy1988, dierk schaefer, Rob Stemple, katerha, StockMonkeys.com, Ramotionblog, andrewk3715, charlywkarl, AJC1, rachel_titiriga