Alternatives Library Collection: It's a New Day - Poems for Young Brothas and Sistuhs

Above all, the main theme that is most noticeable in It’s a New Day by Sonia Sanchez is that optimism is an essential part of boosting the spirits of Black Americans. When discussing the systemic disadvantages that black people face when living in America, it’s easy to fall into a spiral of helplessness in the face of seemingly immovable obstacles. Plenty of the books in the alternative library talk about this feeling as well. However, despite the hardships that Black Americans can face, Sonia Sanchez reiterates that this cannot and will not be a predetermined future. The future of Black Americans will not be determined by a country run by and favoring White Americans. As Sonia Sanchez puts it in “We Can Be,” “walken new rhythms leaven behind us a tap dancer’s dream of sunday nite ed sullivan shows. WE WILL BE ALL that we want for we are the young ones bringen the world to a Black Beginnen” (Sanchez 23). Sanchez, through her poetry, lets her readers know that she firmly believes that the future for black americans will not only be a better time, but the direction it's taken will be fully in the hands of black americans. This leads into the second theme that Sanchez brings to light. The future of black america is, above all, in the hands of the youngest generations of black americans. Young people overall have the longest future ahead of them, and Sonia Sanchez knows this well. It’s why she dedicated an entire set of It’s a New Day to reaching out to specific young Black Americans that are important to her. In the last poem of the set, “Words for Geoffrey and Stephanie Hamilton,” she goes as far as to mention that the purpose of the past is to set the stage for them. “History has made this time for you. That the final result be you lyrical children of non-poetic times is not the point. You are. We have thought you to be” (Sanchez 10).

Perhaps one of the scariest parts of being young and trying to be part of a critical movement is the idea of being scrutinized by people older than you that you look up to, especially within your own community. Sanchez actively works to break through the anxiety of young folk in her writings, and encourages them to pursue the change they want to see in the world, as history has been made so that they have the platform they need. To Sonia Sanchez, young Black Americans are not only pivotal to the future of Black America, but to all americans. This point is talked about further in depth in an online Time article. The essay dives into the concept of a history without African Americans, and deconstructs the fascination in answering the question of what America would look like without an entire demographic of people. Near the conclusion, the author states “They are an american people who are geared to what is and who yet are driven by a sense of what is possible for human life to be in this society. The nation could not be deprived of their presence because… …they symbolize both its most stringent testing and the possibility of its greatest human freedom” (Essay 6). By the nature of how much of the nations energy has been dedicated to controlling and systematically oppressing Black Americans, it is impossible to divorce their presence in conversations about the future of the nation.

The Shrine of the Black Madonna was one of the most important centers of civil rights activism, where Sonia Sanchez and many others would share poetry and celebrate African heritage. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021

The necessity of Black Americans to the public narrative is what drives many artists, activists and authors like Sonia Sanchez to use their mediums to remind Black Americans of their necessity. It’s a push that was as strong as it was in 1971 as it is in 2024. In 1971, when It’s a New Day was published, Rev. Jesse Jackson founded the roots of what would today be known as the Rainbow Push Coalition. The mission statement of the RPC since its foundation has been “to protect, defend, and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields, and to promote peace and justice around the world” (Who we are). They’ve helped over 4000 homes avoid foreclosure and have dedicated over 6 million dollars in boosting Black Americans financially. In the same year, 13 Black Americans founded the Congressional Black Caucus, an organization committed to using the power and influence of the federal government to bring to light disadvantages that Black Americans and other minorities face. In the 21st century, the drive to keep people aware of the presence of Black Americans and civil injustice is just as strong. Only 10 years ago was Black Lives Matter founded by 3 black women, set on reminding the public that Black Americans cannot be pushed to the side, and that oppression and injustice won’t be swept under the rug. Today in 2024, Black Lives Matter is one of the most well known movements of the 21st century.

The RPC, the CBC, or the BLM movement wouldn't have started if there weren’t Black Americans that were given motivation to strive for a better, brighter future. This motivation, the evocative feeling of wanting to make change happen, is exactly what It’s a New Day is trying to instill in its readers. Above all, the takeaway is that no movement can be complete without a drive to build and improve. Otherwise, it’s just action without emotion, and you can’t have a movement without emotion to fuel it. Therefore, the success of movements like Black Lives Matter are strongly dependent on the emotional and spiritual fuel that each individual member takes into it.

Sonia Sanchez reads out an original poem, "Queens of the Universe," during an African Heritage celebration in Detroit, C. 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQBKnWQ8ES8