Upon its publication in 2015, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ essay on growing up black took the U.S. by storm. University of Southern California professor Claudia Rankine‘s Citizen: An American Lyric is Between the World and Me‘s lesser-known cousin, but this book-length poem is just as relevant and important as Coates’ work. Rankine’s poetry details years of micro-aggressions from acquaintances and strangers alike, as experienced by the author, her friends, and black celebrities. Continue reading →