In order to celebrate the voices of young local students during Black History Month, Local 4 is working with InsideOut Literary Arts, an organization that helps Detroit’s youth build their literary and academic skills through creative writing.
Below you can read some of the poems written by these local students of various ages in honor of Black History. We’re publishing more throughout the month, so make sure to read them all.
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The African Quilt
By Artis (InsideOut Middle School Student)
The Quilt of Africa’s made for my brothers and sisters.
It stretches out vibrant and colorful
all shades of brown, yellow, black
stitched together with gold
the strength of my people.
Keeping us warm and safe.
A quilt to keep you close to your heart
Grandma’s warmth like our soil
deep and rich
calm and sweet like Mother’s voice
soothing. The quilt is vibrant and healthy
like our resilience, peaceful yet strong.
It lulls us to sleep to the land of dreams
where we are truly free.
from My Name is Grief
By Garret (InsideOut Middle School Student)
My name is Grief. I am a Black poet.
I have terror in my voice. I have a
river of sorrows in my heart.
I remain an outspoken human being.
My name is poetic, sing my blackness
like the Lion’s pride.
Metaphoric
By Anthony (InsideOut High School Student)
I am a dragon
I am the flames inside the mouth
I am the beating heart inside of the beast
I am the fiery soul of the beast
I am the victim of the dragon’s wrath
I am the hiker who finds his lair
I am the steam exiting the cave
I am the sharpest tooth in the mouth
I am the blood coursing through its veins.
I Am
A song by Schulze Elementary InsideOut Students
I am a hurricane
Tearing apart
Hold me together
Just let me start
I am a flower
Please help me grow
I need the sun and the water
For my petals to show
Oh, Mother Nature
Please come to me
I need your beautiful sunlight
So that I can breathe
I am a bird
Singing my song
Spreading my wings
For a journey so long
I am a rain cloud
Drifting across the sky
When the sun comes out
I let my rainbow colors fly
Oh, Mother Nature
Please come to me
I need your beautiful sunlight
So that I can breathe
To read more of these poems, go to our Inside Out page!
About InsideOut
Our Mission: to inspire students to think broadly, create bravely, and share their voices with the wider world.
Since 1995, InsideOut Literary Arts has helped over 65,000 of Detroit’s youth build their literary and academic skills through creative writing.
With initial seed funding from Bob Shaye and the Four Friends Foundation, InsideOut was founded in 1995 by former Detroit Public School teacher Dr. Terry Blackhawk. The name InsideOut was chosen by Dr. Blackhawk’s students.
As Detroit’s largest and oldest literary non-profit, InsideOut now serves more than 100 classrooms and community sites annually. Our professional writers continue to help students experiment with words and learn that each unique voice matters – that there is power in “bringing the inside out.”
Learn more about InsideOut here.