I saw this Gwendolyn Brooks quote in an email newsletter I’m subscribed to. It was one of those ones that elicited that sweet sound that is music gold to a poet’s ears; a low resonating ‘Mmmm’.

This is one to star, pin, save, print off etc.

  • How different would our streets, neighbourhoods, societies and so on be, if we embodied these words?
  • How will we use our words—whatever creative form they take—to reflect and impart/ this mandate?
  • Who are the ‘others’ in our circle(s) of influence?

The Quote’s Origins

The quote is from the closing lines of a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks called Paul Robeson.

…The major Voice.
The adult Voice
forgoing Rolling River,
forgoing tearful tale of bale and barge
and other symptoms of an old despond.
Warning, in music-words
devout and large,
that we are…

From The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks (Library of America, 2005). Copyright © 1970 by Gwendolyn Brooks. (Source: Poets.org

Paul Robeson was a Black athlete, lawyer, actor, singer, activist and more. According to some online posts, the poem was written to celebrate his leadership and a testament to his impact:

Brooks is speaking about what Robeson meant to so many because of how he used his voice — to sing the songs of slavery and oppression all over the world. In particular, she is talking about the song. “Ol’ Man River” in which Robeson sings; “I’m tired of living but scared of dying.”

We Are Each Other’s, by Victoria Price

…how his voice (as a musician and an activist) impacted Black Americans and the Civil Rights Movements in general.

What song is Gwendolyn Brooks referring to in Paul Robeson?

The poem from which the text ‘we are each other’s’ is drawn is one example of Brooks’s commitment to civil rights, a poem she wrote in testament to Paul Robeson.

No Whining Wednesday – We Are Each Other’s Harvest

What About Us?

  • What will our words, actions, endeavours… say about us?
  • What testament will be given of how we lived in the world?
  • Who will be telling our story?

We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business;
we are each other’s magnitude and bond.

Gwendolyn Brooks

Optional extras:

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