POET PROFILE

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JAMES MONROE WHITFIELD (1822-1871)

     Was free born in New Hampshire in 1822. Little is known about him, so he remains much of a mysterious and interesting character to study.

He was well-traveled, and worked as a barber all of his life, living in places like Buffalo, New York, California, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada.

Whitfield wrote forceful protest poems, and his writings appeared often in Black newspapers and periodicals. He also read and recited his verse in public.

It was said of him, "He was an outstanding poet whose impassioned protest verse combined bitter anger and artistry."

Whitfield's only published volume is "America and Other Poems."

He died in 1871 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery of San Francisco.

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To read and perhaps discover more info, please consult the following books:

"Invisible Poets: Afro-Americans of the Nineteenth Century, 2nd ed., 1989 - Joan R. Sherman-

The Concise Oxford Companion to African-American Literature 2001 Oxford University Press

To read a short bio and one of his poems, click on the following link poetryfoundation.org and search his full name.

Also google-search his name for more details.

POET PROFILE

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GEORGE MOSES HORTON
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(1798-1883)


Was born a slave on a plantation in North Carolina.  Horton lived as a slave for 66 years, becoming "free" with implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation.  He taught himself to read and in later years he soon learned to write.

Horton became a prolific writer, eventually publishing 150 poems or more. His subject matter included his bondage, love, religion, nature, the civil war, and the art of poetry.  

George Moses Horton was the first Black poet to be published in the South.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^for details on his remarkable life click on the following links poetryfoundation.org---poets.org

To read his collection of poems click on poemhunter.com

SEARCH HIS NAME ON EACH SITE!
**For additional tidbits, Google search his name.

DEM DRY BONES

Dem dry bones of
Our ancestors still lay
Buried downtown beneath
Skyscrapers in lower Manhattan
Valley of sacred burial grounds
Covered with granite
And cement and asphalt
Highways headed uptown
To God knows where