Evans includes Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill, battle sites of both the Vietnam and Korean Wars (respectively), to further the narrative of violence and tragedy that runs parallel to American History.

Evans uses this simile to compare the long-standing resilience of Black woman to cypress trees, which grow fifty to eighty feet tall, and can live upwards of six hundred years.

This is in reference to the freedom fighter Nat Turner, who in 1831 led a four-day slave rebellion in Southern Virginia. The Nat Turner Rebellion was the longest and most effective slave uprising in U.S. history. When Turner was found six days after the Rebellion, he was tried and executed by white men.

The Battle of Anzio took place in January of 1944 in Italy. The author references this battle to further propel the poem into the present, while highlighting more moments of injustice and death throughout U.S. history. After World War II, where Black and white Americans fought alongside each other, Black soldiers came back to a country that they had risked their lives for only to return to unrelenting injustice.

“Canebrake” refers to a thick brush of sugar-cane, a crop that furthers Evan's use of imagery that is symbolic of slavery.

Arpeggios are often referred to as “broken” stacked chords, where each note in the chord is played after the other, instead of all at once. The poet is writing about her building frustration and fear; lamenting about the tragedies that have befallen African Americans.

This line marks the start of Evan’s historical references to ongoing oppression and mistreatment of African-American people since the beginning of their time in North America, starting with the Slave Trade. To-be-enslaved Africans would abandon ship to escape their daunting future as slaves.

This is in reference to the overwhelming hate, violence, and protests from white people in response to the Civil Rights movement gaining traction.

Though this poem is written in first person, the speaker is an enduring and universal observer that transcends time. She is not telling the story one Black woman’s experience, but of the injustices that Black women have endured since the beginning of the slave trade.

Evan's language ("laws, structure, foundation") emphasizes the systemic nature of the racism Black people face.

Black nationalism, which took hold in the late 60's and early 70's with some Civil Rights activists, is advocacy of or support for unity and self-determination for Black people, sometimes in the form of a separate Black nation.

The Black Aesthetic is a cultural ideology that developed in America alongside the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and promoted Black separatism in the arts.The theorist Larry Neal proclaimed in 1968, that the Black arts were the "aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept." The development of a Black Aesthetic was crucial to the development of an African-American identity at this revolutionary moment in American politics.

With the obstacle identified, they can then work to elevate Black entities -schools, children, minds, love, impregnability - with the ultimate goal being, "to BUILD a strong black nation."

"Fantasy," encapsulates escapism which, to Evans, is what keeps Black people "enslaved."

Evans invokes the social and political upheaval of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements to advise Black artists, activists, and leaders.

Evans demands that all people need to be informed of the truth so they can empower themselves. Such truth-telling, Evan’s call to action, requires “Love and Courage for their Being."

Even though Ellis is using words that describe a physical altercation, he is using them to depict how he feels when he writes. It is not physical violence, but it creates a powerfulness through words instead of violence.

The significance of mentioning the different race ratios within the high school is that it introduces the notion of race inequality. It also suggests that this substitute teacher has a preconceived opinion on Ellis because he is African American.

This may suggest he realizes his true potential of becoming a poet and/or he is starting analyze the situation.

Anacostia this is a high-crime neighborhood in Washington D.C. The overall crime rate is higher than the national average. In the poem Ellis describes how they were told to avoid Southeast DC because it is not a safe area.

African American Poet who served as a consultant in Poetry in the Library of Congress. He was the first African American to hold this position. Ellis favored Hayden’s work because he was different than a lot of poets at the time and Ellis admired that.

Gibson Plaza Apartments are located in a central part of Washington D.C. When looking at a map, The White House and Washington Monuments are fairly close to the building.

He was a popular White literary figure that a lot of other literary writers looked up to. Looking again at the first two lines on this stanza, the questioning by the substitute teacher relates to the preconceived judgement of Ellis by the substitute.

The library of Congress is a research library that officially serves the United States Congress. It is the national library of the United States. It is also located somewhat close to Gibson Plaza Apartments.

First built in 1972 in Washington D.C. They were built to help keep families in D.C. by giving them an affordable option for housing.

the dash demonstrates the shift of topics in the poem. It goes from Ellis talking about his father and wanting to be like his father to him discovering writing and becoming his own person.

Born on June 27th 1872. He was one of the most influential Black poets in early American literature.

This is in past tense potentially foreshadowing the speaker’s opinion of his father changes later in the poem

Used to tighten drums, further emphasizing the musicality of the poem—Ellis emphasizing his need for music rather than sports like his father.

His father physically abused Ellis’ mother. In the earlier stanza when he says “I wanted to be just like him”, suggest Ellis might be abusive like his father.

Represents a person who was abused

This may suggest that Ellis’ father has internal battles that he tries to cover up with his strong physical appearance.

Instead of being physically violent, Ellis turned to poetry to try to escape his world of violence.

Basic pattern of drumming, consisting of a stroke followed by a grace note.

Use of onomatopoeia—formation of a word from a sound association. The words 'wham' and 'bam' depicts sounds of violence.

Whereas Trujillo is referred to as "El General" in the first part of the poem, he is referred to as "the general" in the second part of the poem. This reinforces the sense that the two parts of the poem represent different ethnic or global perspectives.

Rasha, the woman from Madagascar, has a boa constrictor around her neck in the freak show to further the appearance of her "freakishness".

Allusion to the painting.

"Their" is most likely referring to the spectators of the show, as mentioned in line 4.

Sour herring, or Surströmming, was a common German dish at the time.

The Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin is Europe's largest university clinic, affiliated with Humboldt University and Freie University Berlin.

Madagascar is an island republic in the Indian Ocean, off the East coast of Africa.

Hardenbergstrasse is a street in the center of Berlin.

In her intro to the poem at the 1994 conference, Dove explains that the inspiration for this poem is a painting by 1920s German painter Christian Schad. The painting is a portrait of a Black woman from Madagascar and a white man with a physical deformity in which he appeared to have wings under his body. The two appeared in a freak show together in Berlin in 1929; the woman being in the show simply because it was so unusual to see a Black person in Germany at the time, having no physical peculiarities. This poem is ekphrastic, or based on art.

From the Tate Museum of Art: "Agosta, the Pigeon-Chested Man, and Rasha, the Black Dove (1929) is a large portrait-oriented oil painting that features a white man (Agosta) on a decorative high-backed chair that is reminiscent of a throne. He is naked aside from a black and white robe that is swathed around his lower half, and he turns slightly to his right in an upright position that emphasises his unusually prominent ribcage. The man has a confident, almost arrogant expression, and stares down towards the viewer. Positioned in front of him at his feet is a black woman, Rasha, visible from the chest upwards, who wears a red and white halter-neck top. She is shown frontally and gazes impassively at the viewer."

Elizabeth Alexander wrote a similar poem entitled "The Venus Hottentot" that parallels the theme of looking at historical figures with a modern perspective.

The point of view changes here, now the poem is from the perspective of the artist Christian Schad.

There is a double meaning here. They are killed "for a single, beautiful word," referring both to their mispronunciation of the word and to the memory of his mother that the word evokes.

Translation of Spanish from previous stanza.

Reference to parsley.

Here it is confirmed that his mother is dead. There is a shift from the thousands dead described in the first part of the poem to the singular death of El General's mother.

“my mother, my love in death” in Spanish, except without the R’s, as the Haitians would have pronounced it

This seems to be a play on words, as it refers not only to a walking cane but to the sugar cane referenced in the first part of the poem

Dehumanization of Haitians; calling enslaved people "parrots" or "apes" was common way of dehumanizing them and justifying slavery; here same logic is being applied to migrant workers.

Same knot referred to in previous stanza.

Allusion to dying

The "knot of screams" seems to be the grief/anger/sadness that he experiences that is alleviated by killing people.

spanish word for "parsley"

Could be a reference to wealth and/or the fact that he is a four-star general.

El General refers to the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo who famously ordered the execution`of tens of thousands of Black Haitians in October of 1937. During the massacre, he used the word parsley, or perejil, as a shibboleth to distinguish native speakers from Haitians.

The form of part 2 is free verse. There is also a point of view change here. Part 2 is from the point of view of El General.

El General's mother, who is discussed more in part two, was of Haitian descent. This alludes to the fact that El General connected the killing of the Haitians with somehow defending or covering up his mother's heritage.

This could be the name of El General's mother. As scholar Therese Steffen and Hubert Fichte note, the "l" in Katalina is also significant because it highlights the failure of even the Spanish to say their Rs: "since the days of the Conquistadores the master language Spanish itself would replace an "R" with an "L" and produce "Katalina" for "Katharina"" (english.illinois.edu).

The form of part 1 is an unrhyming villanelle, a nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains, with the first and third line of the first tercet repeated alternately until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines.

These Haitians were killed for not being able to pronounce the letter R in “Parsley”, because it gave away their Haitian heritage. Here, "we" is referring to the Haitians, so the speakers of the first section of the poem are murdered people.

The speakers are migrant Afro-Haitian cane field workers.

Sugarcane is grown in lush tropical climates and was the major crop of slave plantations in the colonial Caribbean.

This use of simile comparing the clitoris to "a young girl" may be a way of describing the female persona's newfound confidence. She "must be coaxed by tenderness" to move away from the aforementioned shyness.

White is a color often used to represent purity and innocence. The use of a berry suggests ripe and sexual nature. So, the phrase "white berry" creates a tension between the pure and sexual, much like the tension the speaker is battling in this intimate experience with a lover.

In line with the theme of royalty suggested through the color purple, taffeta refers to a ruffled or feathered dress made of fancy fabric.

Purple is often a color used to represent royalty, suggesting the speaker's celebration of her body.

Again, there is the use of enjambment here works to convey multiple meanings. When read solely as "a survivor," the reader is brought back to the constant wondering of the speaker. As she is unsure of this experience, the speaker is simply a survivor of the interaction between her and her lover. When read with the following line, the speaker seems to describe marriage as a challenging experience that she has endured.

This line is an allusion to the anatomy of the clitoris, which has approximately 8,000 nerve endings on it.

This implies that this encounter is a second or repeated experience.

The poem begins with a shift in the speaker's sense of self away from self-doubt a lack of confidence in her body towards a newfound confidence and belief in herself.

These lines may have multiple meanings. 1) The definition of love is dependent on some factor like what kind of love it is or the people involved. 2) This friend may being saying that love itself depends. That is, love requires dependence and trust that it's real. Love in this case is trusting your partner enough to not doubt their love for you, sexually and romantically. Less optimistically, though, she might be saying that traditional love/marriage promotes dependence in line with the sort of subservient "my pleasure is less important than his" attitude that Peacock's speaker possesses.

The words "dry" and "ice" are opposites of wetness and heat, both terms that are often associated with actual sexual pleasure. With this opposition in mind, the speaker again seems to be uncertain of the romance in this sexual experience.

This seems to recall Gwendolyn Brooks' famous poem "A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, A Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon". The poem is about the woman whose husband murdered Emmett Till, and slowly realizes that he is not the fine prince she imagined him to be and had used to justify Till's murder.

The word or phrase "silver skin" has two meanings, both related to food. The first refers to a thin papery layer that surrounds a coffee bean immediately inside the parchment. The second meaning is the thin, sinewy connective tissue on meats. The skin here seems to be referring both to a skin around the genitalia and around the mind. In both, actual sensation or orgasm is being blocked by this 'skin' of wondering.

This is a biblical allusion to the second coming of Christ where, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ returns to earth to rule. Derricotte likens an orgasm, "coming," to the return of Christ, being magnificent and spiritual.

The repetition of wonder may indicate the excessive uncertainty and self-doubt of the speaker in Peacock's poem.

This is an allusion to Peacock's poem, specifically the lines "That head/between your legs so long."

Derricotte's use of enjambment here layers the meaning of the two lines. When stopped at "come" without the following line, 'come' refers to the experience of an orgasm, already giving the poem a sexual tone.

Derricotte is referring to Peacock's poem "Have you Ever Faked an Orgasm?" which was published in the Paris Review in 1994 according to a citation of the poem in a journal.

Molly Peacock, born in 1947, is an American - Canadian writer, poet, and biographer from Buffalo, NY.

The Paris Review is an English literary magazine established in Paris in 1953.

The speaker is saying that African- Americans are a part of everybody.

The speaker capitalizes their name because it is their identity that they are proud of.

A Black American, The term generally refers to descendants of enslaved people who are from the United States.

In Islam, it is tradition to name a baby seven days after it is born.

“ My People” refers to all black people and how the speaker is intertwined with them all. They are a community of people.

Hyphenation is the breaking of words into smaller units. In this case African-American is what is being hyphenated. The speaker is saying they are more than just this term. There is only one identity to them, which is being Black.

Unconquerable is capitalized in the middle of the stanza. Unconquerable usually refers to an adjective, but in this case since it is capitalized it can also refer to the speaker as an identity. Unconquerable is also the speaker's name.

As stated in the line before the speaker tells the reader that 'kojo" means unconquerable. The word Kojo is capitalized, this suggest that other than being " A Black" one of her other names that she goes by is Kojo.

These geographic regions are showing where Black people originated from through the Black Diaspora. The Black Diaspora refers to the mass dispersion of people from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades. The Diaspora took millions of people from Western and Central Africa to different regions throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.

Black people are not restricted to one geographic area such as America, they are located all over the world.

The speaker's people are not ashamed or feel embarrassed by these stereotypical things or of their culture

In this stanza BLACK is all capitalized which shows the seriousness and how powerful being Black is to speaker. Black is more than just an adjective, it is an identity. This poem was during the period of the Black Power Movement. This was a time when Black people grew proud of their identity and started a movement.

Not only is this referring to the speaker's identity, but using " The Blacks" is now referring to the speaker and their community.

This may suggest that the author is upset because “African American” restricts being Black to only American people, when there are Black people from other nationalities. People with darker skin are all group together, regardless of their ethnicity.

The term "open umbrella" is used to cover a broad number of functions or items that all fall under a single common category. This may suggest that Black categorizes all nationalities and does not exclude due to geographic boundaries.

This refers to her identity as a person.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He and Winnie were married from 1958–1996.

Blackness in this instance signifies a collective consciousness, and Brooks is looking at the dynamic of those in solidarity and those who “dance on the brinks.”

This may suggest that she is a student in school since she has a teacher

“Code” may be in reference to The South African Police (SAP) which was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the de facto police force in the territory of South West Africa and they enforced several policies to maintain an oppressive social structure. By referring to Winnie as the “Code” Brooks is subverting the oppressive power of the government.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. Apartheid was characterised by an authoritarian political culture which encouraged state repression of Black Africans for the benefit of the nation's minority white population.

Winnie Mandela once said during her struggle with apartheid: "I have ceased a long time ago to exist as an individual. The ideals, the political goals that I stand for, those are the ideals and goals of the people in this country."

Brooks depicts Winnie Mandela both as what she was (the “ointment at the gap of our wounding”) and a more idyllic image of what she might have wanted to be (“a young woman, flirting, no cares beyond curl-braids and paint and effecting no change”).

Winnie Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, wife to activist Nelson Mandela. She used her voice in support of meaningful transformation in South African society and demanded social justice for the poorest and most vulnerable.

By reminding the audience of childhood, Brooks emphasizes one of the tragedies of racism; the extent to which it has foisted struggle on Black people and how Black children have almost never been unburdened by it.

Though Winnie was, "a sumptuous sun for [the country’s] warming” Brooks implies that she is aware and sometimes burdened by her responsibility; she, “would like to be a little girl again,” weary of struggling against racism. Through this poem, Brooks wants to recognize the sacrifices Winnie made for the benefit of a nation.

The word "Jazz" could convey several meanings: unsubstantial or empty talk, sexual intercourse, or jazz music. The first two meanings could contribute to the pathos of idleness and rebellion, with “June” acting as a reference to the endless summer time the boys delude themselves into believing they’re living. Brooks has also described “June” as representing "the establishment," referencing how the boys “Jazz” or subvert the system.

The group "sings sin" in celebration of neglecting any moral or social obligations. If young Black men are going to be demonized regardless of their actions, the boys can at least enjoy comradery in their own marginalization.

To strike straight could mean striking a pool ball with precision or the strike of a fist. This ambiguity and duality reflects the tension of the lifestyle of these players.

The last line of the poem, harshly discontinues the alliteration and rhyme scheme to jerk the reader back to the reality of the group’s vulnerability to systemic and racist violence.

The poem is delivered in four stanzas, each one a rhyming couplet. This, and the five instances of alliteration (Lurk late; Strike straight), give the poem a musical, almost percussive rhythm.

The Golden Shovel is the name of the place where they play pool. The golden shovel also implies that the boys may be trying to escape or “bury” the issues they are avoiding with pool. It also alludes to the last line, “we die soon,” with its associations of death and burial.

Brooks enjambs her poem so that each line, save the last, ends on We. This forces the reader to pause for a moment and consider the group of boys who feel unseen, making them—as a group—the focus of the poem.

The negative connotations of "lurk" implies that the group is aware of how they are perceived and how that endangers them. However, with that fear, there is also a sense of smug pride and bravado at their deviation from mainstream acceptance.

"I wrote ['We Real Cool'] because I was passing by a pool hall in my community one afternoon during school time, and I saw, therein, a little bunch of boys – I say here in this poem, seven – and they were shooting pool. But instead of asking myself, 'Why aren't they in school?' I asked myself, 'I wonder how they feel about themselves?' And just perhaps they might have considered themselves contemptuous of the establishment . . ." -Gwendolyn Brooks

Referring to Nat King Cole, American jazz singer and pianist, 1919-1965.

In her audio video from the Furious Flower Conference in 1994, Adisa Vera Beatty states that her poem is about a rumor that "The Duke” received Nat King Cole’s lungs. It may suggest how Nat died and the Duke survived because the hospital prioritized the Duke because he was white and they let him survive with the lungs of Nat King Cole.

This further shows how unhealthy the Duke was when it came to his diet. It is very unhealthy to eat that much red meat in one day.

This may suggest that there was more value placed on the Duke who had unhealthy eating habits, smoked, and had unethical morals than Nat King Cole.

The separate entrances shows a form of segregation that took place from 1896 to 1954. White and Black people had separate entrances, exits, water fountains, schools,etc. This goes for hospital entrances as well. The white areas had better doctors and equipment, better maintenance, unlike African American areas that were assigned to them.

The Duke played many cowboy roles during his acting career. The roles were very racist, especially against Native Americans. The gunpowder line may referencing his cowboy roles in the movie industry.

The two being joined are referring to John Wayne " The Duke" and Nat King Cole.

Wayne, or "Duke," was an actor, producer, director, and racist. In a 1974 Playboy interview, he stated that he believed in white supremacy and viewed “blacks” as "irresponsible" and "uneducated".

The “Negro” is referring Nat King Cole, who was a well-known American Jazz pianist and vocalist during the “swing era.” He was also the first African American to have his own night show, called “The Nat King Cole Show”

Marlboro was one of the strongest cigarettes because it did not have a filter. This was during a time period when smoking was popular and they did not know the full health effects of it.

The "Duke" is a nickname for John Wayne, American actor, 1907- 1979. Wayne was diagnosed with gastric cancer and Nat King Cole was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Barrax lived on Cooper Road in Raleigh North Carolina

She died trying to contact people but there wasn’t enough time. Also, this last line confirms what you were thinking the whole poem, almost like a reminder if you didn’t get it, it’s about a death

Barrax doesn't specify who this women is, but based on everything else we can assume she is some type of law enforcement

Barrax moved here with his family in 1944

A day celebrating life, the resurrection of Jesus, but there is a death which gives an interesting juxtaposition

Another speaker. Either Barrax overhearing someone consoling another or Barrax in his head saying he will be grareful for witnessing this

Repetition of hoarse, very specific cries

This suggests it's very recent

This suggests the police dealt with the scene

Definition: make an abrupt, unsteady, uncontrolled movement or series of movements; stagger.

A police car in North Carolina. Barrax lives in North Carolina at this time.

A vehicle that holds a coffin. Suggesting a death

Adding to the previous annotation, these kids are too young to formulate their own opinions on what is socially acceptable so they just believe their mother because she is “in charge.”

Another example of the young woman reacting to the grief

Highlighting they are young and probably do not understand the situation

Someone crying loudly

Suggests she's in so much grief she is unable to function

Seems to be potentially homophobic, the mother does not want her sons to be seen in public touching. Could also be that she feels judged as an African American family and does not want any more attention drawn to them.

Seems to relate to the authors discomfort regarding the situation, he disagrees with the mothers actions but is too scared to speak up.

The mother disciplined them for what she believed was misbehaving in the store

We can assume the author can feel the intensity of the situation and is trying to avoid it

Seems to be insinuating that they portray a better image of black families than the less put together stereotypes people associate African Americans with.

Def: feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed

This suggests she does all the work around the house and deals with the children

Assuming they had a father and were a put together family. If the mother is out with her four children (children are expensive) in the day, meaning she isn't working. Assuming the father is working.

He is clearly there to be in and out

Pointing out their neat appearance sets up poem for the following line which is a juxtaposition of African Americans and their stereotypes

Barrax was simply going to the grocery store, not anticipating a scene to be made. Something as small as being at the grocery at the wrong time could lead to something that affects you deeper.

The poem seems to be highlighting the issue of homophobia. The title may be in reference to the idea we are in "jeopardy" if we continue to be homophobic.

When Baraka read this poem at the conference, he sang, using each stanza as an interjection in the song. These interjections in the music are similar to when you're in a crowded area and pick up little pieces of people's conversations.

The "They" in this poem is subverted--Baraka is criticizing white people, showing how they are not as superior as they believe themselves to be.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1758-1806) was a lieutenant of Toussaint Louverture during the Haitian Revolution and was named the first ruler of independent Haiti after the revolt.

Dachau, Germany, was the location of one of the first Jewish concentration camps established by the Nazi Regime in 1933. The camp operated until the end of World War II in 1945.

Baraka published a book of poems called "S O S: Poems 1961-2013" where he has more "Heathen" poems, with titles such as "Heathens in Evolution," "Heathen Bliss," "Heathen Technology & Media," and "Heathens Think Fascism is Civilization." In these poems, Baraka uses the term "heathen" similarly to how he does here, with it criticizing whites.

In his "Expressive Language" essay, Baraka writes, "For instance, when the first Africans were brought into the New World, it was thought that it was all right for them to be slaves because “they were heathens.”

Here, Baraka's joke takes aim at the traditionally taught, white European canon; throughout the poem, he highlights this canon's inherent suppression of other voices by acknowledging the violence often glossed over in white European records of history.

During a discussion with Askia Toure, Baraka said "You can not even fight for equal rights successfully unless you have something to struggle with," referencing how we must create art and establish institutions in order to find a place in America.

David Walker (1796-1830) was an African American abolitionist and early proponent of Black Nationalism. Some believe Walker was poisoned for his outspoken beliefs; other historians agree Walker died naturally of tuberculosis.

Here, Baraka refers to the largely European narrative which credits Greece as the birthplace of concepts such as democracy. In reality, many advancements in philosophy, mathematics, and the like had existed in many forms across the world far before the Greeks.

According to many folk tales, Napoleon and his army are said to have fired cannonballs during their conquest of Egypt at the Sphinx of Giza's nose because it looked 'too African.' The loss of the nose, however, has been attributed by historians to Sufi Islamic forces who defaced the statue in an act against icon worship; local peasants would make offerings at the sphinx's feet.

The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the world's most important centers of learning and scholarship until it was burned and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 48 BC.

Amilcar Cabral (1924-1973) was a revolutionary who helped lead the war for independence in Guinea-Bissau, which was originally a Portuguese colony in West Africa. Cabral was assassinated in 1973.

David Sibeko (1938-1973) was a political activist who was at the forefront of the struggle for freedom in South Africa.

Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803) was the leader of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), in which ex-slaves overthrew French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue and created a sovereign state independent from Europe.

Nat Turner (1800-1831) led one of the few successful slave revolts in American history in Southhampton County, Virginia. Nat Turner's Rebellion only lasted two days, but Turner evaded capture for over a month after the event. When captured, Turner was hung, drawn and quartered.

Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961) was a Congolese statesman who played a significant role in the decolonization and independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had previously been a Belgian colony. Lumumba was the nation's first prime minister until a secessionist revolt, supported by the Belgium government, assassinated Lumumba by firing squad.

Augusto César Sandino (1895-1934) was a Nicaraguan revolutionary who revolted against U.S. forces occupying the country. He was assassinated by Anastasio Somosa García (1896-1956) who seized power in 1936.

John Brown (1800-1859) was an American abolitionist who was famous for leading an attempted raid on a U.S. armory in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in order to incite a slave revolution. He was hung for treason.

Medgar Evers (1925-1963) was a civil rights activist who worked against segregation in Mississippi. He was assassinated by the white supremacist Byron de la Beckwith in 1963.

The Taino and Arawak peoples were indigenous to the Caribbean and South America. Many were enslaved and virtually erased as a civilization in the years after Christopher Columbus' first exploration of the New World.

Fred Hampton (1948-1969) was a member of the Black Panther Party in Chicago, Illinois, and was killed after a raid by law enforcement in 1969.

Bobby Hutton (1950-1968) was one of the first members of the Black Panther Party. Hutton was shot by the Oakland Police after a shootout between the Panthers and Oakland PD.

From the 700s into the 1500s, Islamic "Moors" originating primarily from northern Africa were a significant population on the Iberian Peninsula.

Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) was a Mexican revolutionary who led peasant revolts against the Mexican government in the early 1900s. Zapata was primarily concerned with the rights of the lower class and agrarian communities.

The "Boers" were Dutch colonizers who originally settled in what is now South Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The word "boer" comes from the Dutch for "farmer."

Carthage was the capital of an ancient civilization in what is now Tunisia. The Roman Empire captured and destroyed the city in the Third Punic War in 146 BC, then reestablished it as a Roman center for trade and influence over Africa.

In the early 1500s, Spanish explorers such as Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) led conquests into native territories in modern-day Central and South America. Cortés himself led a campaign against the Aztec Empire and its emperor, Montezuma (1466-1520).

Meaning "the New World" in Spanish, Baraka may be including this line and the following to make a point about the complexities of history and its resulting diasporas.

Amiri Baraka was born LeRoi Jones in Newark, New Jersey in 1934 and lived there until his death in 2014. Newark was one of many city's that endured race riots during the Long Hot Summer of 1967. Due to Baraka, it is also considered the birthplace of the Black Arts Movement.

Amiri Baraka's subtitle to his poem may be a reference to Benny Golson's (1929- ) composition of the same name, which is largely considered a standard of jazz music. Baraka makes his poem its own standard of Black Arts literature by uplifting the histories so often ignored in European-centric narratives.

The Jury for the trial of officers involved in the Rodney King traffic stop consisted of 9 white, one biracial, and Latino, and one Asian.

Suggests an emphasis on how aggressive he was being beaten, because pinatas are solely used for forceful actions.

Rodney King was an African American construction worker who was brutally beat by four police officers during a traffic stop. This beating sparked riots all across the nation, and primarily in Los Angeles that brought attention to racial injustice in America.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words, and her employer is suggesting that just because the word doesn’t literally mean anything offensive, the structure of it shouldn’t upset her.

Niggardly means not generous, or stingy, but looking at the root of the word gives off a negative connotation of the word that was used to describe African Americans.

Her boss is suggesting that the reason there were rats in her office in her dream were due to her being dirty.

Sea Otter was a racial slur used to describe African Americans.

This was a phrase commonly associated with facing adversity and defying odds and coming out on top. This suggests that as Rodney King was facing the challenge of racial discrimination he was still able to overcome and make the best of the bad situation

Knowing the role that the root of the word rodent plays in the greater etymology of “nigger” this can be used to justify why she saw rats and mice along with the racial slur otters in her dream earlier mentioned.

This could possibly be referring to the batons that were mentioned earlier used by the police officers during his traffic stop.

Following up the reality of words, these are words that she has heard people say because they were thinking them, whether they had malicious intent or not.

This Latin phrase means that “love conquers all” and this suggests that though King was beaten, he sees it as more than just an act of violence, but more of a learning experience for everyone else to show that love is greater than evil.