16 pages • 32 minutes read
Selma, 1965
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Each Generation Must Discover Its Mission” by Gloria Larry House
This short poem illustrates House’s determination as a social justice and human rights activist. House states, “Perhaps you, in this time, have no words to utter / only the deep groan of longing” (Lines 10-11). This poem might clarify for the reader why House felt the need to leave Berkeley to support the 1960s' Civil Rights Movement and continue to support social justice for the rest of her life.
“Meridian, Miss., August, 1964” by Gloria Larry House
Like “Selma, 1965,” this poem is also named after a place in the south, Meridian, Mississippi, and a date: 1964. While darker than “Selma, 1965,” this poem paints an important image of what occurred in the South in the 1960s—namely, murder and brutality.
“A Wreath for Emmett Till” by Marilyn Nelson (2005)
Emmett Till, who was 14 at the time, was murdered in 1955. Till’s murder was a historic moment in history, helping mobilize the movement of the 1960s into action. Nelson’s narrative poem about Till before his death is haunting.
Further Literary Resources
A Life Speaks edited by Nichole Christian (2019)
Put together by The Kresge Foundation following House’s award of the prestigious Kresge Eminent Artist award in 2019, A Life Speaks is an in-depth look into her life, poetic works, and her support of social justice movements and political activity. This tribute gives an eye into House’s poetic inspirations and what drives her to create art and stand up as an activist.
“The Selma March: On the trail to Montgomery” by Renata Adler (1965)
Written by Renata Adler and published in The New Yorker, this piece documents what the march from Selma to Montgomery was like, and who it involved. It is key to understanding House’s poem and gaining a clearer understanding of this historical moment of the 1960s' Civil Rights Movement.
Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC by Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod Norman Noonan, Judy Richardson, Betty Garman Robinson, Jean Smith Young, and Dorothy M. Zellner. University of Illinois Pres. (2010).
Gloria House wrote the first essay in this book about her time working with the SNCC. House left Berkeley in 1965 and moved to Alabama where she helped set up the Freedom School in Selma. Written in House’s own words, this text—along with other accounts by other women—help readers better understand the context and purpose behind House’s poem “Selma, 1965.”
"Listen to Poem
Listen to House read some of her poems aloud in this brief video made by The Kresge Foundation
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