In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr. by June Jordan (1971)

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On April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Before Jordan passed away, in one interview she was asked the role of the poet in society:

“The role of the poet, beginning with my own childhood experience, is to deserve the trust of people who know that what you do is work with words.” She continued: “Always to be as honest as possible and to be as careful about the trust invested in you as you possibly can. Then the task of a poet of color, a black poet, as a people hated and despised, is to rally the spirit of your folks…I have to get myself together and figure out an angle, a perspective, that is an offering, that other folks can use to pick themselves up, to rally and to continue or, even better, to jump higher, to reach more extensively in solidarity with even more varieties of people to accomplish something. I feel that it’s a spirit task.” [1]

Poetry

In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr.

June Jordan

I

honey people murder mercy U.S.A.

the milkland turn to monsters teach

to kill to violate pull down destroy

the weakly freedom growing fruit

from being born

America

tomorrow yesterday rip rape

exacerbate despoil disfigure

crazy running threat the

deadly thrall

appall belief dispel

the wildlife burn the breast

the onward tongue

the outward hand

deform the normal rainy

riot sunshine shelter wreck

of darkness derogate

delimit blank

explode deprive

assassinate and batten up

like bullets fatten up

the raving greed

reactivate a springtime

terrorizing

death by men by more

than you or I can

STOP

      II

They sleep who know a regulated place

or pulse or tide or changing sky

according to some universal

stage direction obvious

like shorewashed shells

we share an afternoon of mourning

in between no next predictable

except for wild reversal hearse rehearsal

bleach the blacklong lunging

ritual of fright insanity and more

deplorable abortion

more and

more [2]

Author

June Millicent Jordan (June Jordan), was a Jamaican-American bisexual poet, novelist, activist, teacher, essayist, journalist, biographer, and dramatist who was born July 9, 1936. Her writings explore many issues such as, gender, immigration, race, and representation. Jordan was one of the most significant black writers of the 20th century. In her writing and poetry, she is passionate about using Black English and teaching others to treat it as its own language for expressing Black culture. In 2019, she was inducted within the Stonewall National Monument on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor. [3] [4]

Jordan played an important role in developing the black artistic, social, and political movements. In 2002, she passed away from breast cancer in Berkeley, California. [5]

Racism Issue

This poem pays tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the first stanza, the atmosphere was created of violent terror and destruction. The line, showing chaos and images of destruction. This leads the reader thinking that America, instead of stopping the violence, it has encouraged it. A description of terrifying events, met in the second stanza. The word “STOP” persuades readers to stop the feeling of depression and unjust memories.

The author used simile to suggest the privileges. This leads to an end of the poem, which brings the reader back to the violence. [6]

References

  1. Rosenbaum, Lew. Poem for April 4: In Memoriam, Martin Luther King, Jr. — by June Jordan. chilaborarts wordpress. April 4, 2019. Retrieved 15 January, 2021
  2. Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 15 2021
  3. June Jordan. Wikipedia. December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021
  4. june jordan/in memoriam: martin luther king, jr.. mahmag.org. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2021
  5. June Jordan. Poem Hunter. Retrieved January 15, 2021
  6. Martin Luther King Jr.. Connecting Poetry Art and Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved January 15, 2021