I, Too

by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

About the Poet:

Langston Hughes was a profound poet during the Harlem Renaissance. His work always captured the beauty within black lives. Hughes wrote novels, short stories, plays, and essays all dedicated to black lives. Hughes was truly motivated to show that Black Lives Matter.