A Poem for Dudley Randall (Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement (A Picture Book Biography))

Dudley Randall’s first published poem appeared in the Detroit Free Press when he was only 13 years old. He continued to write, and as he grew older, he realized that his voice could be powerful.

When calls for equal rights were growing louder during the civil rights movement, Randall wrote the “Ballad of Birmingham” in response to an incident of senseless violence against a Black community in Alabama—and suddenly, the world was paying attention to his words.

But Randall knew that most publishing companies were ignoring Black writers. In 1965, he founded the groundbreaking Broadside Press to give a platform to Black creatives like Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez, as well as his own work. Randall and his fellow writers used their literary voices to express pride in Black history and culture.

From award-winning author Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree Laura Freeman comes a picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts Movement.

Integrated throughout the story as well as the back matter, Randall’s most famous poems help bring the story alive. Back matter also includes more information about the famous figures and historical movements discussed in the narrative.

Included Randall poems:
“Ballad of Birmingham”
“On Getting a Natural (For Gwendolyn Brooks)”
“Twilight”
“Booker T. and W.E.B.”
“Langston Blues”