Collection

Poems of Protest, Resistance, and Empowerment

Why poetry is necessary and sought after during crises.

Illustration of a fist holding a pencil.
Illustration by CHema Skandal!

Pithy and powerful, poetry is a popular art form at protests and rallies. From the civil rights and women’s liberation movements to Black Lives Matter, poetry is commanding enough to gather crowds in a city square and compact enough to demand attention on social media. Speaking truth to power remains a crucial role of the poet in the face of political and media rhetoric designed to obscure, manipulate, or worse. The selection of poems below call out and talk back to the inhumane forces that threaten from above. They expose grim truths, raise consciousness, and build united fronts. Some insist, as Langston Hughes writes, “That all these walls oppression builds / Will have to go!” All rail against complacency and demonstrate why poetry is necessary and sought after in moments of political crisis.

Poems to Empower, Mobilize, or Rally
Resisting Structures of Power
Poems of Personal Political Consciousness
Everyday Resistance
Historical Contexts and Tributes