Langston Hughes

My People

The night is beautiful,


So the faces of my people.



The stars are beautiful,


So the eyes of my people.



Beautiful, also, is the sun.


Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes work usually portrayed the everyday lives of working class African Americans. In My People, Hughes uses the night, the stars, and the sun to make comparison to the beauty of African Americans. Hughes was writing in a time when racism towards African American was elevated and with his beautiful, profound, insightful poem he shows his pride and his love for his people. The poem is meant to uplift and inspire his community, and it was truly a love letter. So simple and so beautiful, it is one of my favorite poems of all times.