Poems in this category offer a rallying cry to move beyond rhetoric into the realm of direct action. These poets engage, empower, and direct readers out of passivity and complacency.
HOW TO NAVIGATE
- Clicking on the title takes you to a page with the text of the poem (pdf).
- Clicking on the title with a speaker icon
takes you to an audio recording of the poem (mp3).
*For each author, we have done our best to include a bio with the information available to us. In instances where archival and public-facing information is unavailable, the bio is left blank. If you have insights to biographic information, please send us an email: info@freedomarchives.org.
Title of Poem | Author |
Lament for Chile After the Coup September 1973 (song) From the collection, “Chile Si!: Poems of Solidarity” Published by Non-Intervention in Chile (1975). | Jacqueline D. Tunberg |
From the collection “Wild Poppies: A Poetry Jam Across Prison Walls” (1996). | Maria Poblet Queer Latina poet and tenant organizer. As artistic director for Poetry for the People, Maria taught a poetry workshop at FCI Dublin. |
When I Declare War From the collection “Prisoners Are People Too: Poems by John Bailey” (1980). | John Bailey The youngest of the Pontiac Brothers, a group of 31 men who rebelled against inhumane conditions within the Pontiac Prison in Pontiac, Illinois on July 22, 1978. The Pontiac case is the largest civilian death penalty case in the history of the US. |
| for comrades who ask, ‘what is to be done?’ during this particular historical conjuncture, a (partial) list of practical things to do. Written in 1987. | Tim Blunk Former US political prisoner who served over 13 years in some of America’s most notorious prisons for his activism in resistance to racism, US support for apartheid in South Africa, and involvement in Central America during the 1980s. |
 Revolutionary Mandate(s) 1, 2, & 3 Read by producer Lincoln Bergman on the “Real Dragon on the One-ness Show” (1972). Poems featured in Lester’s collection “Revolutionary Notes” published in 1969, written in response to the death of Ralph Featherstone and Che Payne of SNCC. | Julius Lester Scholar and civil rights activist active in the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) (1936—2018). |
Read by Pedro Pietri from a series of poems written by Eduardo ‘Pancho’ Cruz when he was in “maximum security detention from the tenth floor of the tombs.” Recorded in the segment “Poems, Prisons, and Wounded Knee” produced by Emiliano Echeverria of KPFA (1971). | Eduardo ‘Pancho’ Cruz Puerto Rican poet and prisoner of war held in the Manhattan Detention Complex in New York City. |
Reflection:
Think about the media (books, performances, songs, videos, etc.) that have inspired action in your life; what emotions did they invoke? Do any of the emotional appeals in the poems above resonate with you?
Invitation:
You have the mic now: write a poem that compels an audience toward meaningful action around a cause close to your heart. What information feels most important to get across? What language do you use to inspire and motivate?
