Henri Labouchere’s “The Brown Man’s Burden” is still pretty uncomfortably on the money, though:
I’ll try anything.
Need it specifically be a poem the author’s intent of which is to address racial prejudice?
If taking a broader approach of using poetry as fuel for discussion about racial prejudice, I will humbly suggest “Eeenie Meenie Miney Moe”. I’m willing to guess that the majority of her classmates are unaware that the “tiger” references were a later substitution. The fact that it was at one time shared unreticently as a children’s nursery rhyme is an excellent focus of academic deconstruction for students her age.
Ditto the original version of “Ten Little Indians” without the Indians (although, the Indians version ain’t a bad example on its own).
Well, apparently so are metaphors, so…
Pastures of Plenty, by Lila Downs, about the migrant worker. Sample lyric:
Gil Scott Heron’s “Whitey on the Moon”. Pretty straightforward, no metaphors necessary.
Strange Fruit started as a poem that was later put to music.
The story about the author is fascinating. The Strange Story Of The Man Behind 'Strange Fruit' : NPR
Very good read. Thanks.
That he ended up adopting and raising Ethel and Julius Rosenberg’s kids was such an unexpected twist in what was already a fascinating story!
A Jewish communist who adopted the sons of convicted and executed atomic spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg wrote the Time Magazine “song of the century.”
Yeah. Steven Spielberg wanna take this one on?
Who was simply a Bronx high school English teacher. It would be a great story.
It has a sexual element, so it may not be appropriate (better for her to make this determination), but Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is very accessible. She’s not a favorite of mine; I don’t care for her poetry at all. But I think she has things to say in a way that 15-year-old students can probably grasp and talk about with ease.
Only a Pawn in Their Game, Bob Dylan
Thanks. She’s gone with Strange Fruit after all.
YAY! I WIN!
Booyah!
(It was a contest, right???)
The [del]cheque[/del] check is in the mail.
Half my family lives on Ontario. I’ll take a cheque any day!
You need to check further upthread. 
Damn.
Cancel the cheque. 
And I read the thread twice before posting!
Great minds, blah, blah.
I am happy to dance on the grave of your dreams and aspirations. 
Take a number, funny guy.