Paul Laurence Dunbar was an extraordinary African-American poet of the nineteenth century. Dunbar was born in 1872 and died in 1906, he was born to ex-slave parents following the Civil War, which greatly influenced his writing. According to his biography in McMichael Leonard's anthology, "Even with his impressive academic credentials, Dunbar, because he was black, was unable to find professional employment in Dayton and was forced to settle as an elevator operator" ("Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 -1906)'). This poem was written in 1895 and formally published shortly thereafter. The “We” in the title of the poem refers to African Americans. The poem speaks for many unheard voices of African Americans for several reasons on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, this did not mean that discrimination against African Americans automatically ended. In Dunbar's poem he writes, "We wear the mask that smiles and lies, hides our cheeks and shades our eyes." When I read this I think about how society today still hides its true self behind a mask. We hide our true feelings so as not to show our weaknesses or draw attention to ourselves. We wear a fake smile and pretend that discrimination and racism are not everywhere around us. We hide our pain and suffering not only physically but also emotionally. We pretend that everything is fine to hide our true feelings. The world is always in motion and not many people think to stop and say hello or smile when we pass someone on the street, instead we lower our heads and look at our phones to avoid contact with others. When in reality the races are still divided today, but now includes issues with immigrants like Hispanics, Asians, Muslims and Europeans. My family legally immigrated to Illinois from Poland in the late 1980s, and at times we feel like they don't fit in because they are not U.S.-born citizens. Even though I was born in Chicago and raised here, people still sometimes look at me strangely because of my accent and when I speak in my native language with family members. I feel like Dunbar and his family, along with all 19th century African Americans, felt like they didn't fit the American image of only whites being desired. To meet society's standards, you must wear a mask so as not to stand out and fade into the distance so as not to draw attention to yourself. If you do or say something out of the ordinary of society's standards you are automatically labeled as different. Dunbar, through his poetry, spoke for many African Americans who were afraid to speak for themselves. He had an impact on many people, and that is why his poetry lives on and I believe will always be present for more centuries to come and should remain in the American literary canon. Dunbar moved to Chicago to find work in the early 1890s and became a historical landmark in Chicago's Dunbar Park. There is a statue of him carved there where many people can visit and admire it. I love Chicago because it's a melting pot of cultural diversity. We can't change history, but we can do our part for racial equality. We need to socialize with everyone around us and not pick and choose who falls into the same bubble as us based. 963.