Angelina W. Grinke - Trees

"Trees", written by Angelina W. Grimke, was one of the Harlem Renaissance’s poems that stood the test of time since it was published in the early 1900’s. A natural work of art that didn’t only pertain to the black community in America, but can be universally directed towards all walks of life that has been oppressed, discriminated, or has suffered from injustices because of they might be different from the general census. Angelina’s angle with this poem is unique. She starts by saying that God made all trees beautiful even though they all might be different. This metaphor can easily be related to how all human may seem different physically, however, they still are a human.

Within the context when this poem was published there was still inequality in America, mainly towards African-American and women. During this time period black men, women, and even children would get lynched by white mobs on trees and hang from a woven noose, and their body would be left on the tree, sometimes swinging for days, or they would even set the corpse on fire, and this became a norm for America, especially in the South. What Grinke is trying to do in the latter part of her poem is try to bring light to the lynching that became so acceptable in America; to which of a black individual’s life had no value to it. However, she tries to debunk this theory by referring to Jesus Christ, who also suffered his fatality by dying on a tree.

This poem did magical things during this time period because many people tried to justify the killings of black by using the bible. The idea that Christ himself was relevant to the “Black Beasts” of America was absurd during that time. However, Angelina found a way to do it, and though I’m not sure, it worked.

There is a testament to the ignorance of man. Thankfully, Angelina and many other brave individuals dismantled this ignorance, and sadly many died for this to happen.