Carter G. Woodson – Father Of Black History

Charles Waters is a Children's Poet, Actor and Educator who has performed in schools and universities across the country. His work has appeared in several textbooks and anthologies.

Visit Charles' profile for more information about his work. »

I submitted this poem for THE POETRY FRIDAY FOR CELEBRATIONS, edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.

They had asked me to submit a poem for Black History Month, this one was not accepted, but another one was. Let this be a lesson, if something isn’t the right fit for an anthology, at least you have a poem you could submit somewhere else, and you can write another poem that fits what an anthologist is looking for. Then you have 2 poems, a total win, win!

by
Charles Waters

A Poem

He was a son of slaves,

Self-taught as a youth

Turned Ivy League graduate

Speaker of truth:

Of self-reliance,

Of black pride,

His mission?

Change

The racial tide