The following poems explore the themes of social justice, identity, and human rights and are appropriate for young people.

more poems for kids

“Praise Song for the Day” by Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business…

“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history…

“A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Is that Eric Garner worked…

"In This Place (An American Lyric)" by Amanda Gorman

There's a poem in this place...

“Everyday We Get More Illegal” by Juan Felipe Herrera

Yet the peach tree…

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America...

“Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes

Let American be America again…

“For Trayvon Martin” by Reuben Jackson

Instead of sleeping…

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame…

“Before I Was a Gazan” by Naomi Shihab Nye

I was a boy…

“Gate A-4” by Naomi Shihab Nye

Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal…

“from Citizen, VI [On the train the woman standing]” by Claudia Rankine

On the train the woman standing makes you understand…

“Black Laws” by Roger Reeves

Fuss, fight, and cutting the huckley-buck—Dear Malindy…

"Carrying Our Words" by Ofelia Zepeda

We travel carrying our words...



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