What do you think?
Rate this book
Margaret Walker's "for My People": A Tribute
Half a century ago a young woman published a poem that was destined to reverberate through American life.
Here that poem is reprinted with thirty-eight stunning photographs that celebrate it.
"For My People" is a resounding catalog of black history, a clarion that refutes the affliction of humiliation, an indelible record of noble accomplishments. Since 1942 this enduring paean to black America has remained an everlasting appeal against racial oppression.
"I wrote most of that poem," Margaret Walker says, "in fifteen minutes on a typewriter. I think it was just after my twenty-second birthday, and I felt it was my whole life gushing out - as I had felt about my people all my life."
Since that time the astonishing young poet whose voice rose in cadences that praise and honor black America has never ceased to stir minds and hearts to action with her credos. She became indeed the renowned poet, novelist, lecturer, teacher, and sage Margaret Walker Alexander.
In commemoration of "For My People," her first publication, and in tribute to her richly productive life, the acclaimed photographer Roland L. Freeman has joined a photo essay to Margaret Walker's poem.
"I selected photographs that call to mind the special human elements evoked by Walker, so basic to everyday life, and yet not often celebrated, elements which unravel the real beauty and the tenacity for life of African-American people."
With this marvelous collaboration both Walker and Freeman stimulate rejoicing for the spirit of the artist who perceives and depicts the rich and vital culture of black America.
In this jubilee year of a momentous poem, "For My People" continues to resound in the hearts of African-Americans and for all who love human freedom.
Here that poem is reprinted with thirty-eight stunning photographs that celebrate it.
"For My People" is a resounding catalog of black history, a clarion that refutes the affliction of humiliation, an indelible record of noble accomplishments. Since 1942 this enduring paean to black America has remained an everlasting appeal against racial oppression.
"I wrote most of that poem," Margaret Walker says, "in fifteen minutes on a typewriter. I think it was just after my twenty-second birthday, and I felt it was my whole life gushing out - as I had felt about my people all my life."
Since that time the astonishing young poet whose voice rose in cadences that praise and honor black America has never ceased to stir minds and hearts to action with her credos. She became indeed the renowned poet, novelist, lecturer, teacher, and sage Margaret Walker Alexander.
In commemoration of "For My People," her first publication, and in tribute to her richly productive life, the acclaimed photographer Roland L. Freeman has joined a photo essay to Margaret Walker's poem.
"I selected photographs that call to mind the special human elements evoked by Walker, so basic to everyday life, and yet not often celebrated, elements which unravel the real beauty and the tenacity for life of African-American people."
With this marvelous collaboration both Walker and Freeman stimulate rejoicing for the spirit of the artist who perceives and depicts the rich and vital culture of black America.
In this jubilee year of a momentous poem, "For My People" continues to resound in the hearts of African-Americans and for all who love human freedom.
12 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1992
6 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Walker
73 books191 followersDr. Margaret Abigail Walker Alexander was an African-American poet and author. She wrote as Margaret Walker. One of her most known poems is "For My People".
Her father Sigismund C. Walker was a Methodist minister and her mother was Marion Dozier Walker. They helped get her started in literature by teaching a lot of philosophy and poetry to her as a child.
In 1935, Walker received her Bachelors of Arts Degree from Northwestern University and in 1936 she began work with the Federal Writers' Project under the Works Progress Administration. In 1942 she received her master's degree in creative writing from the University of Iowa. In 1965 she returned to that school to earn her Ph.D. She also for a time served as a professor at what is today Jackson State University.
Her literature generally contained African American themes. Among her more popular works were her poem For My People, which won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition and her 1966 novel Jubilee, which received critical acclaim.
Margaret Walker died of breast cancer in Chicago in 1998.
Her father Sigismund C. Walker was a Methodist minister and her mother was Marion Dozier Walker. They helped get her started in literature by teaching a lot of philosophy and poetry to her as a child.
In 1935, Walker received her Bachelors of Arts Degree from Northwestern University and in 1936 she began work with the Federal Writers' Project under the Works Progress Administration. In 1942 she received her master's degree in creative writing from the University of Iowa. In 1965 she returned to that school to earn her Ph.D. She also for a time served as a professor at what is today Jackson State University.
Her literature generally contained African American themes. Among her more popular works were her poem For My People, which won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition and her 1966 novel Jubilee, which received critical acclaim.
Margaret Walker died of breast cancer in Chicago in 1998.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 2, 2020
While looking at another book with photographs by Roland Freeman, I found this. It's worth having a look, and the famous poem was something new to me.
Displaying 1 of 1 review