They were the salt of the earth and birds who managed to fly with cramped wings.” īoth of Brooks’ parents had unrealized vocational ambitions-her father David, a janitor, aspired to practice medicine and her mother Keziah, a schoolteacher, to become a concert pianist. Nicknamed the “Black Metropolis,” Bronzeville-with its vibrant cultural milieu-proved a fertile environment for a budding poet: Fellow Black poet and Chicagoan Angela Jackson describes Bronzeville’s residents as resilient in the face of economic challenges and “industrious and dignified, creative in music, language, dance, and style. Six weeks later, her family moved to Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, a South Side community burgeoning with an influx of newcomers from the Great Migration. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born Jin Topeka, Kansas to David Anderson Brooks and Keziah Wims Brooks. Understanding Brooks and her poetry requires exploring her Chicago heritage and abiding love for her community.
Gwendolyn Brooks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, professor, and public servant, left an indelible mark on the reading public and subsequent generations of writers. Core Studies Research Fellow, Class of 2020
