After decades out of print, Passion—one of June Jordan's most important collections—has returned to readers.Originally entitled, passion: new poems, 1977-1980, this volume holds key works including "Poem About My Rights," "Poem About Police Violence," "Free Flight," and an essay by the poet, "For the Sake of the People's Poetry: Walt Whitman and the Rest of Us." It is a personal and emotional poem about her view of the world and how change is needed. She embodied transnational feminist solidarity long before it was in vogue. "Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth." — June Jordan. Issues like gender, immigration, and race frequently came up in her writing. Throughout the poem, the individual is seen as a victim of society. Poet, activist, teacher, and essayist, she was a prolific, passionate and influential voice for liberation. Meredith, William, 1919-2007. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ alone on the streets/alone not being the . Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my . my status as a woman alone in the evening/. Her books of poetry include Kissing God Goodbye: Poems, 1991-1997 (Anchor Books, 1997), Haruko/Love Poems (1994), Naming Our Destiny: New and Selected Poems (1989), Living Room (1985), Passion (1980), and Things That I Do in the Dark (1977). Love Poems. A Poem about Intelligence for My Brothers and Sisters. The title of June Jordan's poem, "Poem about My Rights," puts naming in this political context. June Jordan, who died in 2002, lived and wrote on the frontlines of American poetry, political vision and moral witness. Today, her poem resonates still, and the urgency of her message is amplified by decades of continued violence against BIPOC. "Poem About My Rights," by June Jordan was published in Essence magazine in 1978. Before George Floyd and the murder trial that could prophesy possibilities of accountability and reconciliation. ― June Jordan, Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems. Soldier: A Poet's Childhood. A truly powerful collection of Jordan's work, The Essential June Jordan is a nuanced and emotional exploration of race, sexuality and politics. to hustle my cousin into a hammerlock. June Jordan. The Talking Back Of Miss Valentine Jones: Poem # One, On a New Year's Eve, Jim Crow: The Sequel Keats. The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York found "insufficient evidence" that Miller's rights had been violated. By The Editors. 65 likes. Bisexual poet and essayist June Jordan (1936-2002) wrote about civil rights, sexual diversity, racial inequality, and other topics that intertwined personal identity with political power. to say I think we can: I think we. Poets are often advised to remove such . Shaheen & I were blessed to call her our friend & family. June Jordan (b. By The Editors . Learn more NEWS . June Millicent Jordan (July 9, 1936 - June 14, 2002) was an American poet, essayist, teacher, and activist. Blog. The word "accident" appears repeatedly in this poem, each time a conscious choice on Jordan's part. Here you will find a collection of African American Poems. More Poetry from June Jordan: June Jordan Poems based on Topics: Night. " I ' m also interested in telling the truth as I know it. In "Numbers, Letters" Baraka is asserting his identity as a black man. The exclamation point of the poem was quoted by then-Senator Obama at a pivotal point of his 2008 Presidential campaign. The American culture as perceived by Jordan is anti-female, anti-black, and cruelly and unfairly violent society. This handling of Basquiat comes as no surprise to any Black artist. Selected writings. Poem about My Rights by June Jordan - Poems | Academy of American Poets Poem about My Rights June Jordan - 1936-2002 Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ Her numerous books of poetry include The Essential June Jordan (Copper Canyon Press, 2021), We're On: A . 1936) . Our own shadows disappear as the feet of thousands. Reading this poem aloud in a class need not be difficult in any college for at least two reasons: its personal, intimate, talking-directly-to-you quality and the generally acknowledged . However, the work ends on a somewhat hopeful and optimistic note. June Jordan (b. Prolific and passionate, she was an influential voice who lived and wrote on the frontlines of American poetry, international political vision and human moral witness. Big Ideas 2021: The most buzz-worthy tips for virtual presentations; Nov. 17, 2021. Collecting the finest work from Jordan's ten volumes, as well as dozens of "last poems" that were never published in Jordan's lifetime, these more than six hundred pages overflow with . tags: a-poem-about-my-rights, poem, poetry, self-determination. Poem to Take Back the Night. She also emphasised the importance of intersectionality when it came to struggles for equality and human rights. even as the first woman whispering. alone on the streets/alone not being the point/. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear. It also focuses heavily on her forty years of groundbreaking verse. . "Even tonight I need to take a walk and clear / my head about this poem.". this way. The poem takes a stream-of-consciousness-like form. The Talking Back Of Miss Valentine Jones: Poem # One, On a New Year's Eve, Jim Crow: The Sequel Nov. 19, 2021. Jordan, J. Jordan died of breast cancer in 2002, a date that reveals the sad irony in the poem's title. Related; collection. —June Jordan, from "Poem About My Rights" A Poetry Fund Drive. Amiri Baraka "Numbers, Letters" and June Jordan "Poem About My Rights" When reading these two poems, I couldn't help drawing a comparison between the two. Reading June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights" Every now and then, as I did yesterday, I get a chance during a semester to read June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights" for my class. 1977: Poem for Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. 'Poem About My Rights' is a passionate, emotional, and personal poem. June Jordan (1936 - 2002) was a poet, activist, journalist, essayist and teacher. my body posture my gender identity my age. The Poetry Center presents June Jordan reading her essay "Requiem for the Champ" (written in response to boxer Mike Tyson having been convicted of sexual assault) followed by a selection of poems from Things That I Do in the Dark: Selected Poems, 1954-1977 (Random House, 1977), Passion (Beacon Press, 1980), Haruko: Love Poems (Serpent's Tail., 1993), Living Room: New Poems (Thunder's Mouth . This form of struggle and protest poetry, written by June Jordan (Poem about My Rights, 2015) truly captures and speaks for the voice of the oppressed and silent women in South Africa. . Poem about My Rights. "Poem About My Rights" is a pessimistic poem. Written by June Jordan (1936 - 2002) 26 poems of June Jordan. Contributor Names Jordan, June, 1936-2002. Civil Wars: Selected Essays. June Jordan reading her poems in the Coolidge Auditorium, Feb. 12, 1979 Summary Ms. Jordan reads eight selections from her collection entitled Passion and two selections from her collection, Things that I do in the dark. Langston Hughes. Born in New York City on July 9, 1936, June Jordan attended Barnard College. Poem About My Rights by June Jordan - Famous poems, famous poets. June Jordan (1936-2002) was a bisexual Jamaican-American poet, teacher, essayist, and activist. The poem vulgarly refers to sexual violence experienced by woman and how they are victimized, harassed and abused by men who are physically and 'socially' stronger. At a Glance …. on my thigh" References: Jordan, J. Jordan speaks about rape, and how excuses are provided to the law, by the offender, which makes the rape seem okay and reasonable. It begins in a way that allows the reader to enter the poem with Jordan, that I think of as a "pre-poem" way. that worked like war across my. Ode On A Grecian Urn. June Jordan I made this short animated video of June Jordan reading her iconic poem, A Poem About My Rights. As a professor at the University of California in Berkeley, Jordan established Poetry for the . It is a personal and emotional poem about her view of the world and how change is needed. We invite you to make a gift in celebration of two bold, politically relevant, emotionally resonant, electrifying voices in contemporary poetry: June Jordan and Ruth Stone. Poem about My Rights. June Jordan (1936 - 2002) was a poet, activist, journalist, essayist and teacher. June Jordan's poem, "Poem about my rights" is about a woman who is describing her experiences and the unremittent concern for basic human rights for males and females. A new collection, The Essential June Jordan (Copper Canyon Press, 2021) showcases her earliest poetry—works like "Who Look at Me," from 1969. "Poem about my rights" is an emotive and personal account by June Jordan expressing her disdain with humanities continued application of labelling things as being right or wrong, and the effect such categorisations can have on members of society. -June Jordan, "To Sing a Song of Palestine" For Arab feminists of my generation, June Jordan brought us out of our invisibility. Your contribution to our "My Name is My Own" campaign will help to launch three extraordinary books . Ode to June Jordan's 'A Poem About My Rights' by Kai M. Green and tourmalines "Naming Our Destiny": Afterword to The Feminist Wire's Forum on June Jordan by Aishah Shahidah Simmons Aishah Shahidah Simmon s is an award-winning Black feminist lesbian documentary filmmaker, activist, cultural worker, writer and international lecturer. Sources " I write for as many different people as I can, acknowledging that in any problem situation you have at least two viewpoints to be reached, " June Jordan said in a Publishers Weekly interview. In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and representation. Reading this poem aloud in a class need not be difficult in any college for at least two reasons: its personal, intimate, talking-directly-to-you quality and the generally acknowledged . Poem for South African Women. fertile. Democracy. Two of the "talking passages" (describing aptly the entire 114 lines) in "Poem about My Rights" are its opening and lines 45 to 49. Learning about feminism and activism, finding a language for my experience of being Black and Female and Poor — June Jordan gave me a way to think about LOVE as a source of power and connection - a place to fight from and a force to fight for. I guess it was my destiny to live so long reflects many of Jordan's special qualities, and the . Two of the "talking passages" (describing aptly the entire 114 lines) in "Poem about My Rights" are its opening and lines 45 to 49. June Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 and grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The poem was published in Essence Magazine in 1978. In her "Poem About My Rights," which appeared in her famous collection about violence in society titled Passion: New Poems, 1977-1980, she expresses . Read More. One of my favoritesI've been One of my favorites. Like "and if i if i ever let love go because the hatred and the whisperings become a phantom dictate i o-bey in lieu of impulse and realities (the blossoming flamingos of my . Over a career that produced twenty-seven volumes of poems, essays, libretti, and work for. In an interview she gave in 1999, Jordan commented on the significance of this poem: "It documents a conceptual breakthrough that was also an emotional breakthrough for me." It is made as a birthday tribute to June whose poetry was incandescent - full of tenderness & love as much as passionate, righteous rage. Poem About My Rights by June Jordan 8 March 2021 The following poem was published in the International Women's Day - March 2021 special poetry issue of the International Review of Contemporary Law, the journal of the IADL. - All Poetry Poem About My Rights Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ I am always fascinated by the lives and legacies of those individuals who received no mention in my public . June Jordan. Jordan's poetry, for instance, encapsulates the ridiculous and horrific reality of being Black in the U.S.A. Like Basquiat, she knows it is up to her to call out and challenge all figures of authority imposing such views, as she does in the 1980 work "Poem about My Rights": rising like a marvelous pollen will be. >>. Near the end of the poem, Jordan avows, "my. (2007), 'Poem for Annie Topham, Partner of Dr. Elizabeth Ann Karlin' in The Collected Poems of June Jordan: Directed by Desire, pp.583-584 June Jordan's poem, "Poem about my rights" is about a woman who is describing her experiences and the unremittent concern for basic human rights for males and females. This exhibit was dedicated to the life and work of June Jordan because she dedicated her life and work to all of us. into new dust that. June Jordan Biography June Millicent Jordan was a Caribbean-American poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, dramatist, teacher and committed activist. June Jordan and His Poem "Poem about My Rights" June Jordan and His Poem "Poem about My Rights" Jordan's works reveal an unwavering concern for basic human rights and equity for all people. Boston: Beacon Press, 1981, 4-5. Jordan begins the final stanza with the shortest sentence in the entire poem: "he was being rhetorical" (Jordan, line 35).This quippy line follows a lengthy description of a horrifying incident, and in the context of the preceding question, "d'ya want to swallow my big dick; well, do ya?" (Jordan, lines 23-4) the line appears to state . Sounds like this was a really great event/tribute for an awesome poet… and this is a really good article about it. Prolific and passionate, she was an influential voice who lived and wrote on the frontlines of American poetry, international political vision and human moral witness. Poem Hunter all poems of by June Jordan poems. Thanks. June Jordan was born in New York City in 1936. "The Essential June Jordan," edited by Jan Heller Levi and Christoph Keller, includes poems published between 1971 and 2001, and opens with a manifesto-like epigraph, a statement by Jordan . June Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 and was the author of ten books of poetry, seven collections of essays, two plays, a libretto, a novel, a memoir, five children's books, and June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint. Poem Hunter all poems of by June Jordan poems. June Jordan's context effectively shines through in the poems concerns. I was first introduced to June Jordan in a college Women's Studies class. The collection feels deeply personal and reflective; from June Jordan's opening quote and series of photographs, through to the end which concludes with an afterword by poet Jericho Brown and explanations of each snapshot. my head about this poem about why I can't. go out without changing my clothes my shoes. (anyhow I'm more familiar with the subject) Maybe when my cousin tells me you remind me. For example, the opening lines read "even tonight and I need to take a walk . the point being that I can't do what I want. June Jordan 1936 - 2002. One of the most widely-published and highly-acclaimed Jamaican American writers of her generation, poet, playwright and essayist June Jordan was known for her fierce commitment to human rights and political activism. Poem About My Rights (June Jordan Poems) Jim Crow: The Sequel (June Jordan Poems) Poem For Nana (June Jordan Poems) On The Loss Of Energy (And Other Things) (June Jordan Poems) Problems Of Translation: Problems Of Language (June Jordan Poems) The Talking Back of Miss . "Directed by Desire . Jordan would dilate the poem's gnomic declarations in a much longer prose poem, written from 1958-1973, entitled "Fragments from a Parable," published in New Days: Poems of Exile and Return (1974). So I'm always ready and willing to read it out loud. In 'Poem About My Rights' Jordan's view of the world is very apparent. by June Jordan Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't Poet, novelist, essayist, educator, activist. June Jordan, a Black and queer poet and activist from Harlem, wrote powerfully in "Poem About My Rights" about why she couldn't go outside without feeling unsafe and wrong--that was in the 1970s. Owed To Eminem. She produced over 27 volumes of work throughout her career. Poem about My Rights. Your poem today is "Poem about My Rights" by June Jordan. June Jordan reading "Poem about My Rights" on WBAI NYC 1970s (2007), 'Poem about Police Violence' in The Collected Poems of June Jordan: Directed by Desire, pp.272. Ode to Autumn. Yet Jordan's politics and poetics of empathy and solidarity are perhaps most fully rendered in the poem "Moving towards Home.". Maybe I just need to love myself myself. June Jordan didn't coin that beautiful exclamation point, but she brought it into the light of day. Jordan combats rape culture by sharing her personal experience with the world. is a powerful addition to the entire canon of American poetry."—Booklist Now in paperback, Directed by Desire is the definitive overview of June Jordan's -poetry. AfroSapiophile is a hub for critical thinking and analysis pertaining to civil rights, human rights, systemic racism and sexism across . June Jordan reading her poems with comment in the Recording Laboratory, June 14, 1974 Summary June Jordan reads poems from New Days: Poems of Exile and Return, Some Changes, and Who Look at Me. Jordan, June. 59 quotes from June Jordan: ' I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name My name is my own my own my own and I can't tell you who the hell set things up like this but I can tell you that from now on my resistance my simple and daily and nightly self-determination may very well cost you your life', 'And who will join this standing up and the ones who stood without sweet company will sing and sing . Queer Love Poems. Poem for South African Women. by the tens of thousands pound the fallow land. "I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name My name is my own my own my own and I can't tell you who the hell set things up like this but I can tell you that from now on my resistance my simple and daily and nightly self-determination may very well cost you your life" June Jordan "Poem about My Rights," The Collected Poems of June Jordan (2005) Maybe when I feel this horrible. This poem was written by June Jordan about 25 years after that event, and presented at the United Nations in 1978. I've been a fan of June Jordan's work since I first encountered her and I kind of adopted her "Poem About My Rights" as a personal manifesto for awhile. empty throat before I thought to try. LGBTQ love poetry by and for gay men, lesbians, and the queer community. On the Grasshopper and Cricket. She opens and closes the poem with a reference to the accident rate. Analysis: Poem About My Rights, June Jordan English Language Poem about My Rights This form of struggle and protest poetry, written by June Jordan (Poem about My Rights, 2015) truly captures and speaks for the voice of the oppressed and silent women in South Africa. Jordan is regarded as one of the most significant and prolific black, bisexual writers of the 20th century. - June Jordan, excerpt from "Poem about My Rights" . Poem about My Rights BY JUNE JORDAN Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ alone on the streets/alone not being the point/ . Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press, 2005. Poem about My Rights By June Jordan Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ alone on the streets/alone not being the point/ the point being that I can't do what I want can. June Jordan (1936-2002) June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights" (1978) centers on the South African struggle against apartheid. Jordan was passionate about using Black English in her writing and poetry, teaching others to treat it as its own language and an important outlet for expressing Black culture. Quincy Troupe poems, Gloria Wade Gayles poems, Forrest Hamer poems, Alice Walker poems, June Jordan poems, Ai poems, Quincy Troupe poetry, Gloria Wade Gayles poetry, Forrest Hamer poetry, Alice Walker poetry, June Jordan poetry, Ai poetry… Welcome to Mr. Africa Poetry Lounge. Jordan, June. Written after she learned of the September, 1982 massacre of Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila on the outskirts of Beirut, "Moving towards Home" is both heartfelt and harrowing. . She was an activist, poet, writer, teacher, and prominent figure in the civil rights, feminist, antiwar, and LGBTQ movements of the twentieth century. Jordan received a Rockefeller Foundation grant, the National Association of Black Journalists Award, a fellowship from the National Endowment for… Contributor Names Jordan, June, 1936-2002. June Jordan Poems. Whereas in "Poem About My Rights" Jordan is asserting her identity as a black woman. The importance of practicing gratitude in your personal and professional relationships The students see the long poem, and no one ever volunteers to read the entire piece in class. collection. 26 poems of June Jordan. Poem About My Rights June Jordan. One of the most widely-published and highly-acclaimed African American writers of her generation, poet, playwright and essayist June Jordan was known for her fierce commitment to human rights and political activism. In "Poem About My Rights," Jordan centers on race, rape . Near the. Collected Poems of June Jordan. 1936) . "Poem About My Rights" serves as a testament to the belief that the individual can make a difference even though doing so requires an ongoing struggle. Source: Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan (2005) More About this Poem. of a woman past her prime maybe I need. Do enjoy your visit! Poem about My Rights Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes my shoes my body posture my gender identity my age my status as a woman alone in the evening/ alone on the streets/alone not being the point/ . I'm sorry. Begun during what the poet called the "civil rights decade," "Fragments from a Parable" was published after the shorter version of the poem appeared in Some Changes. Over a career that produced twenty-seven volumes of poems, essays, libretti, and work for children, Jordan engaged the fundamental struggles of her era: for . position make her cry out uncle and. Sources: Jordan, June.