Dark Testament: and Other Poems

Description

There has been explosive interest in the life of Pauli Murray, as reflected in a recent profile in The New Yorker, the publication of a definitive biography, and a new Yale University college in her name. Murray has been suddenly cited by leading historians as a woman who contributed far more to the civil rights movement than anyone knew, being arrested in 1940-fifteen years before Rosa Parks-for refusing to give up her seat on a Virginia bus. Celebrated by twenty-first-century readers as a civil rights activist on the level of King, Parks, and John Lewis, she is also being rediscovered as a gifted writer of memoir, sermons, and poems. Originally published in 1970 and long unavailable, Dark Testament and Other Poems attests to her fierce lyrical powers. At turns song, prayer, and lamentation, Murray's poems speak to the brutal history of slavery and Jim Crow and the dream of racial justice and equality. Review: A must-read for history buffs, justice seekers, and poetry lovers. - Read this book. Seriously, read it now. Then go out and learn everything you can about Pauli Murray. Review: Very important context to save the history of our past. - A must read, author is somewhat unknown to many, but needs to be celebrated for her insightful experiences of what it is like being Black in America. Her poetry was frank, clear and powerful.