Racism And Race Relations In The Dumo's Poem

Angelou’s poem primarily focuses on the struggles that white people have historically caused African-Americans. Bremer describes, “Harlem’s African-Americans … were … subject to continuing minority exclusions – not only from American society’s daily goods and powers but also from such common dreams” (p. 48). It can be understood that African-Americans were heavily discriminated against in all aspects of their lives. The race relations in Harlem were harmful but not destructive to the spirit of African-Americans. Although, the Harlem residents were discriminated against physically, emotionally, and mentally, they persevered and fought against race relations. An example of the race relations in Angelou’s poem is the line, “since you black, don’t stick around” (Angelou). We

The Dumos’ expand on Angelou’s discussion of poverty/class relations in America by portraying an ideal community that we should constantly be striving for. Scenes from the video show clean streets with no signs of poverty, crime, or consumerism (Dumo). This is significant because the Dumo’s create a utopian world that is idealistic compared to Angelou’s severely realistic poem. They are attempting to inspire people to work together to improve race relations and achieve an overall increased quality of life for all. Angelou focuses on the setting of the neighborhood of Harlem, New York in her poem. In the online article, “Harlem Hopscotch Analysis by Maya Angelou,” the authors state, “the poem is reflective of the African-American community living in Harlem at large” (beamingnotes.com). We can see that in Angelou’s poem, she is only speaking for African-American Harlem residents. This creates a sense of exclusivity from other African-Americans enduring the same struggles in different areas of the United States. The setting is even reflected in the title of the poem, “Harlem