BOOK REVIEW: White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History

“White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History” by Philip C. Kolin / Third World Press, 2023& Review by By Rev. Dr. Brenda Eatman Aghahowa During a season of U.S. national life when many conservatives are seeking to ban the comprehensive, full-throated teaching of African American history comes another searing collection of poetry by Philip C. Kolin, Distinguished Professor Emerita of English at the University of Southern Mississippi.& & It is a must-read for anyone who is not afraid to look America’s original sin of slavery and its ongoing racism squarely in the face, and who wants to grow stronger and wiser by Kolin’s prolonged and profound stare. Ostensibly a literary work, Kolin’s, “White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History,” serves as both a primer in American Black history and a tribute honoring social justice icons and martyrs. The book is dedicated to Mamie Till, mother of young Emmett Till, whose 1955 murder helped to ignite the Civil Rights Movement.& Introduced by Black Arts Movement luminary Haki Madhubuti (Don L. Lee), the 61 resistance pieces pack a punch poetically and emotionally. Each either lifts up an important individual or individuals and/or illuminates an important theme. A headnote...