Selena Horton White

Burdens We Bear is a collection of the authors heartfelt and thought-provoking poems allowing you to better understand the joys and pains of her experiences as a woman of color in America. The book opens with the sobering challenges of Waking Up Black, followed by We Are Not Inferior, a quiet but strong declaration that gives a voice to past, present, and future generations. Poems such as First Cousins, When We Were Young, and Jars with Lids are presented to remind the reader of childhood memories and to give us a pause and a place for our minds and hearts to rest and smile while Sidewalk Shopping and Homeless Query serve to give a voice to homelessness. The heart of the book is found in challenging poems such as Summer of 91, Original Sin, Stony Hearts, and 4th of July. The beauty and anguish of black experience is communicated in waves on these pages. The tone of the hard work needed for reconciliation is stitched throughout. The admiration of famed Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, is both seen and felt in many of her writings.