The Industrial Revolution, and: J Building, Rooftop Pavilion

A poet contemplates what is lost when Black human beings become symbols of state violence. This poem considers a lifetime of reading in Literature courses where violence often has a complicated role in the production of moments of epiphany.

In this poem, set in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, contamination to the water table results in a disparity of cancer diagnoses. Though the neighborhood is within view of a world-class hospital, this community has very low access to quality healthcare.