African American Poetry: A Digital Anthology

George Compton, "The Black Man" (1909)


Out of the darkness
Out of the night,
Up from slavery
Into the light,
Pushing straight -forward,
Using his time
Fighting ignorance,
Defeating crime,
Climbing steadily
To moral heights.
O Negro haters,
Why curse and fight,
He loves the Dear Flag,
Red, White and Blue.
In peace and in war
He is always true.
So treat him squarely,
Help him to rise,
A better country
Will be the prize.

Published in Colored American Magazine, June 1909
 

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