Taking It Further: Black Struggle and Black Power

Refresh yourself on the use of language and linguistic features in Maya Angelou's Still I Rise featured in the earlier blog post. 

Listen to iconic tennis champion Serena Williams read Angelou's poem here. 

Now explore these additional resources below. As you do so, think critically of the problems and structural inequalities that still plague the African American population of the United States to this day. Discuss your thoughts and findings in class. 

Music:

All Night by Beyoncé : The striking visual imagery in this song, and indeed Beyoncé's masterwork, Lemonade, strongly bring to mind Angelou's words. 

Love by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari: This hauntingly-mellow song, featuring a stunning falsetto by Zacari, is a meditation on modern Black love and romance. 

Formation by Beyoncé : This powerful pop-anthem is a rallying cry to arms - a feminist shout-out to vigilance, in the increasingly tense atmosphere of the United States. 

Film:

12 Years A Slave : A harrowing tale of slavery, oppression and freedom, is brought to evocative light in this Oscar-winning film, by Steve McQueen. 

The Color Purple: Based on the award-winning novel by writer Alice Walker, this film is a testimony of the struggle African American women faced during the early 20th century.

Hidden Figures: The true story of the pioneering Black female mathematicians at NASA who were instrumental in the success of the first Apollo mission- but whose stories were untold and forgotten for many long years.