16 pages • 32 minutes read
my dream about being white
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton (1987)
“homage to my hips” is one of Clifton’s most famous poems. Like so many of her pieces, this one praises the beauty of an aspect of the female body—more specifically, the African American female body so often maligned. As in “my dream of being white,” this poem upholds the belief that “Black is beautiful.”
“it was a dream” by Lucille Clifton (1992)
Clifton writes many poems that have “dream” in the title. Some of them are surreal. Some allude to biblical figures. Many of them embody a tone of self-empowerment or appreciation, but “it was a dream” is among the few poems where the speaker expresses self-recrimination and regret. Like in “homage to my hips” the speaker poses another version of herself, a “dream” version she can evaluate and interact with as though this dream self is a doppelganger from whom she can learn.
Further Literary Resources
“Mirrors and Windows” by the Cave Canem Foundation (2001)
In this interview, Clifton and Sonia Sanchez discuss their work as it relates to the history of African American literature. Both Sanchez and Clifton were associated with the Black Arts Movement, and they discuss the need for more representation and visibility of African American voices in literature. Literature, they contend, is both a “mirror” and a “window,” and all readers need to see into the lives of others (windows) and see people who look like them (mirrors) represented.
“The Spirit Writing of Lucille Clifton” by Marina Magloire (2020)
This article documents Clifton’s work as a “two-headed woman,” a spiritual practitioner who talks to spirits of the dead and unborn. Although her “spirit writing” was never published, its existence gives insight into some of her practices and beliefs. Her work and beliefs as a medium influenced her poetry, and readers can see this in how she inhabits different voices and sees her own persona as fluid.
“An Introduction to the Black Arts Movement” by Nasrullah Mambrol (2020)
This article lays out the history and tenants of the Black Arts Movement. It does not directly name Clifton as one of the movement’s prominent voices, but it is clear from this description how Clifton’s work aligns with the movement’s goals. The article names Sanchez (from the “Mirrors and Windows” interview) as one of the movement’s important poets.
Listen to Poem
This brief YouTube video comes from the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco. The speaker gives a brief summary of Clifton’s life, especially her African heritage, before reading the poem. It offers a brief but important overview of Clifton’s work and a measured interpretation of “my dream about being white.”
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By Lucille Clifton
